


A Fake Behind The Fear

by Sashataakheru



Series: Lord Greg and His Boys AU [9]
Category: Taskmaster (UK TV) RPF
Genre: Anal Sex, Awkwardness, Bisexuality, Blow Jobs, Casual Sex, Chains, Collars, Confessions, Crying, Cuckolding, D/s, Daddy/boi, Disobedience, Embarrassment, Groping, Humiliation, Jealousy, Kink Discovery, Kink Exploration, Kneeling, M/M, Massage, Master/Servant, Masturbation, Multi, Obedience, Open Marriage, Polyamory, Punishment, Restraints, Service Kink, Shame, Submission, Time Out, Verbal Humiliation, Voyeurism, dog beds, domestic service, poly marriage, punishment logs, touch starved, unwanted arousal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 14:49:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18802510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: A servant is just meant to obey their master, right? There’s nothing kinky about that, or so Alex thought.





	A Fake Behind The Fear

**Author's Note:**

  * For [likecharity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/likecharity/gifts).



> I thought it was about time I wrote about Alex in this AU and how he came to work for Greg and how that relationship got started. So here, have 24k words of Alex Being Awkward And Oblivious About Sex And Submission. 
> 
> Also, there is definitely more to this story. Just you wait till I get my next [seasonofkink](https://seasonofkink.dreamwidth.org/profile) bingo card in June, so I can write all the fics about Greg, Josh, and Alex exploring kink together. <3 
> 
> Many thanks to [likecharity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/likecharity) for the beta work and encouragement. We have had many chats about this idea before it became reality, and it’s so much better than even I thought it would be when I first came up with this fic. <3

Alex wasn't expecting guests, so the sharp knock on the door at 8am caught him by surprise. He was just getting started on the laundry and didn't appreciate being interrupted when he had so many other things to do before he woke his master. Besides, no one called before 10am, Greg had made that very clear to him when he first started, so the last thing he was expecting to see was a young man standing there with blond curly hair and eager blue eyes so early in the morning, and Alex felt - strange, and he didn't know why.  
  
It's not like he wasn't used to the steady stream of young men Greg seemed to take to bed every other night, but that happened in the evening, not in the morning, and they never stayed the night, either. In fact, all Alex ever saw of them was when he let them in, if Greg hadn't brought them home in the first place. They were always gone by the time he was putting his master to bed.  
  
Alex also knew that it couldn't be one of the boys that Greg rented the basement apartment below to, because he knew all of them, and that flat was their responsibility, not his, and as far as he knew, there were no spare rooms left so no one should be coming to the house with suitcases in hand. He must be coming to stay here with Greg then, but Alex hadn't been told, and something about his smug little face was getting to him. The urge to just slam the door in his face and run away surprised him with its sudden appearance, but he didn't give in. He was a better servant than that.  
  
"Well, you're not Sean. When did he leave?" the boy said before Alex could address him. He seemed disappointed by this and Alex didn't know why.  
  
"Uh, I-I don't know that, sorry. I don't know who Sean is. Uh, who are you? Can I help you?" Alex said.  
  
"Yeah, you can. I'm Josh, Greg's expecting me. Are you going to let me in?" the boy said impatiently.  
  
"Oh, well, he's not awake yet, sorry, you'll have to come back. He doesn't like being woken early," Alex said.  
  
"He knows I'm coming, now get out of the way, I'm tired and it's cold out here," Josh said, pushing past Alex as he made his way inside.  
  
Alex, defeated, closed the door, and panicked as he saw Josh head to the stairs. "Oh, no, please, don't go up there, he doesn't like being woken!"  
  
Josh turned to him, an indignant look on his face as he began climbing the stairs. "Ha! Like you're really going to stop me. We're old friends, he knows I'm coming. He won't mind at all. Didn't he tell you I was coming?"  
  
"Oh, uh, no, no he didn't, he didn't tell me anyone was coming today. Are you staying then?" Alex said, seeing the suitcases he had with him. Something twisted inside his stomach as he said that, but he didn't know what it meant.  
  
"Yeah, I am. Why? Is that a problem? Because it shouldn't be a problem. You're just the servant. Here, you can carry them upstairs for me. That's what you're here for," Josh said, handing him his suitcases.  
  
"Oh, I didn't-" Alex found himself pushed back by the weight of them, but he took them obediently. It's not like it wasn't his job, but he didn't appreciate being talked to like that. A little politeness wouldn't have hurt.  
  
"Are you going stop staring at me? It's creeping me out. Jesus, I thought he knew how to pick better servants than this. Just stay out of my way, I've been on a train all bloody night and I haven't slept," Josh said shoving him back.  
  
Alex shied away from him, averting his gaze. Had he been staring? He hadn't even realised. "Oh, yes, of course, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."  
  
"Honestly, I've had better service at McDonald's," Josh said as he headed up the stairs.  
  
"I’m sorry, I'm so sorry," Alex mumbled repeatedly as he followed him up the stairs in silence. He had a terrible feeling in his gut and he didn't know what it meant, but he took the cases to his master's room and left them just outside, not daring to enter. The door was open, but the room was still dark, and he could hear Josh climbing into bed with him. Alex quietly closed the door and went back downstairs again. He was just the servant, after all.  
  


* * *

  
The room still smelled the same as it always did, as if nothing had changed. That soft mix of cologne and cigarettes and sex that Josh always found so calming. Josh hadn't been to Greg's for months, but he relaxed as soon as he was in here. He undressed as quietly as he could before slipping into bed with Greg, still deciding if he was going to sleep or not. He was still tired because he never quite managed to sleep on trains, not properly anyway. Some people got lulled gently to sleep by the motion of the train. Josh, on the other hand, kept being jolted awake every time they stopped. He couldn't settle. He could barely doze. He was too eager to get back here, too, which didn't help, and he couldn't even have a wank because he was sharing a cabin with someone who snored the whole way down.  
  
Of course, Greg was facing away from him. Josh had expected that. He wished he was facing him, so he could snuggle up to him without having to move him. He loved so much about Greg, about how they fit together. Greg dwarfed him, and his bed dwarfed him. It was the biggest bed Josh had ever seen, so big not even Greg's feet came close to touching the end, and he loved it. Josh felt so tiny in his arms when he was cuddled up in bed with him. If he'd felt more awake, he might have been tempted to just tease him until he woke up, but all Josh really wanted to do was snuggle up in his arms and sleep.  
  
God, Josh loved his arms so much. He was so strong, so caring. He loved being able to rest his head on his huge chest and listen to his breathing. He loved the way Greg could cradle him like a baby, how he could gently rock Josh to sleep if he really wanted to. There was no place safer than Greg's arms. That soft low growl of his voice that went straight to his groin, a growl both filled with menace, and with seductive love and affection. How his fingers could tangle softly in his hair or yank him around to make him do what he wanted him to do or hurt him ever so beautifully. Those soft kisses on his head, how his fingers could wring every last inch of pleasure out of him and leave him spent and exhausted.  
  
Josh pressed a gentle kiss to his neck, just to see if he reacted at all, to see how close to waking up he was. There was no immediate reaction, but Josh didn't really expect one. He knew Greg was a while away from being awake, but he didn't care. He was here. That was all that mattered.  
  
After a while, he felt Greg take a deep breath, but he didn't wake. Josh had tried to drift off, given how tired he was, but found himself stubbornly awake. Josh didn't want to just lie there beside him, though, so when he felt he'd waited long enough, he carefully rolled him over onto his back and snuggled up beside him, bringing his arm around him. Greg seemed a little closer to waking, but still lay there sleeping.  
  
The sheets felt different, Josh noted. He didn't know how, but they did. They were very soft though, and they smelled like him, and Josh adored that. He wondered idly what colour they were, because he hadn't really had enough light to see that before he'd got here. The last set he remembered was a rich dark red jacquard set, with weird gold trim with a tasselled edge. Josh had teased him about them, said they felt too palatial for the house, but Greg didn't care. Josh remembered how rough the duvet cover felt when Greg fucked him on it.  
  
He wondered what else had changed since he'd last been here. The servant was new, certainly. Josh could tell he'd been in service most of his adult life. He just had that look of weary fear in his eyes, and he didn't protest at how he had treated him. Josh paused at that thought. Was it just that, or was there something else? Something about how submissive and accepting he'd been of his treatment, and how profusely he'd apologised for messing up, seemed meaningful somehow. Was he kinky? Was he submissive? He wouldn't be surprised if he was. Something about him just told him he was, or he might be. And he felt he should know, because he was submissive himself, and he felt he could always pick them because he knew what to look for.  
  
Josh went through that entire interaction in his head, trying to see if he'd just been making it up, or if there'd been something there. He was used to servants being, well, submissive and aware of their place. That was what servants were. But something about his reactions bothered him. It wasn't just him not being aware of him coming over, because a good servant would have just got on with the job. But for some reason, he turned overly servile in a way that seemed ... off to Josh. Off for a professional, anyway. What it did look like was submission. Even in his eyes as he shoved his cases into his hands, there had been something. Fear? Submissive fear? Perhaps.  
  
He knew it was more than him just being a servant, though, because Sean hadn't been like that at all. He was never disrespectful, and he was a very good and attentive servant, but he wasn't a fearful mess like this new boy was. Josh thought he looked like he'd been bullied to the point of going up and asking the bigger boys to kick him in the head rather than wait for them to find him.  
  
Not that Josh had been any kinder to him, though. He'd been rude to him and shoved him away, too, like an absolute dick. He wasn't normally that much of a prick, was he? Maybe he was. Maybe he was just tired, though that wasn't much of an excuse. But then he was just a servant, after all. What did it matter? Servants were there to be bossed around.  
  
Besides, Josh wasn't planning to leave this bed for at least a month. That would be his reward for all the work he'd be doing for Greg while he was here. Josh found it calming to do tedious cleaning work around the house because he didn't need to think, and he liked making Greg happy, and also, it saved him money because if he did this, he didn't have to pay rent. He was definitely going to miss working with Sean though, he had enjoyed his company a lot, but that wasn't going to stop him working with the new boy. Maybe it would give him a chance to work out if he really was submissive. Josh lay there, thinking of all the things he could do to test this hypothesis and how he might respond to them. Maybe that was when he closed his eyes and let himself doze, just a little, just for a moment, as he waited for Greg to wake.  
  
He felt Greg stirring some time later, which jolted him awake. Josh had been surprised that he had felt close to falling asleep himself. He really must have been tired. But then Josh heard his breathing change. He wanted to sit up and kiss him, but he didn't. He was too comfortable here. Besides, Greg shifted a little and brought him close then, and Josh couldn't help smiling.  
  
"'zat you, Joshy?" Greg murmured.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here, sir. It's been too long, hasn't it?" Josh said, keeping his voice quiet.  
  
"Yeah, it has. I missed you. How long you staying then?" Greg said.  
  
"As long as you want, sir. Forever, maybe?" Josh said hopefully.  
  
Greg chuckled, still somewhat half-asleep. "Y'can't stay forever, you don't want to. That's what you said last time. You haven't changed your mind, have you?"  
  
"Well, maybe not forever. But maybe a few months, if this audition comes through. I'll need a place to stay, and why waste all my money renting a flat in London when I can stay here and work for you instead? I know how much that pleases you," Josh said.  
  
"Hmm, good point. You're a good boy, Josh," Greg said.  
  
There was silence for a while. Josh didn't mind. Greg was clearly still waking up. Josh lay there in his arms, and closed his eyes, waiting. When Greg turned over and kissed him, that's what Josh had been waiting for. Greg was definitely not asleep anymore.  
  
"I've still got your collar, boy. You going to wear it for me while you're here?" Greg said with a soft growl in his voice.  
  
"Of course, sir, I'm still your boy, after all," Josh said.  
  
"Good boy. I see you've undressed for me too. You do know just what I like, don't you?" Greg said.  
  
Josh could feel his hands wandering over his body, appreciating how he felt. His weight was sort of pinning him down, just a little bit, and Josh loved that feeling. He'd missed his touch so very much.  
  
"Well, I'm not going to wait for you to maul me. I'd like you to do that now, thank you, sir. I have travelled a very long way to be here, sir," Josh said.  
  
Greg laughed. "I know, I know you have. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to get up there and see it. Too many other people were stealing my free time away from me. So how was Edinburgh, anyway?"  
  
"Wet, for the most part." Josh suppressed a gasp as Greg bit down on his neck. "But the show was good! I'm sorry you missed it too, you would have loved it. It was just your type of silliness. And they extended the run for a month too, so I did quite well out of that. That's why I got the sleeper. I skipped the afterparty and headed straight for the train. I didn't want to wait any longer to be back here with you."  
  
“Better late than never, I guess. I missed you. I wanted you here a month ago, but I’m selfish like that. I’m glad you got more work though, that’s really great to hear. While you’ve been away, I’ve had time to think up some really fun things to do with you,” Greg said.  
  
“Oh, God.” Josh gasped, both at the suggestion that Greg had spent his time planning for his arrival, and at the way Greg was now working his way down his chest, biting the skin with his teeth. “Fuck.” Somehow, he managed to feel Greg’s smirk from beneath the covers.  
  
"You really should've called earlier, too, Josh. You didn’t have to pay for the train. I'd have paid for it if you’d asked. You know I like taking care of you," Greg murmured against the nape of his neck, before he moved forwards, kissing him as he went, his teeth ever-so-gently nipping at his skin.  
  
"I know, I know, but it's fine. I'm not poor, Greg. I'm doing alright. You can just take care of me while I'm here. I'll enjoy that very much. My body will need time to recover. That show was hard work, and I'm exhausted," Josh said.  
  
"Well, I guess I'd better give you a rub down, hadn't I? Get all those aches and pains out of that pretty body of yours, hey? Then you'll be all ready to work for me," Greg said.  
  
"That'd be wonderful, sir, I'd love that," Josh said. Yeah, he sighed wistfully at that suggestion. Of course he did. He was only human. Being massaged by Greg was half the reason he'd come here, and he was glad he hadn't had to ask. But that was what made Greg such a good master. He just seemed to know what he needed.    
  
"Alright, you'd better get the towels and the oil ready. We might as well do this properly," Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Josh was more than willing to oblige, even if it meant leaving this lovely warm bed. He climbed out and went to the bathroom to find the towels and the massage oil. He didn't want to assume they were in the same place, and he didn't know if Greg had changed any of his towels since he'd been here last. He didn't see the towels, so he looked for the oil, checking all the various bottles and lotions in case it was there somewhere.  
  
But it turned out, the massage towels and oil weren't under the basin like they'd been last time. Josh checked the only other place they could be, if they were going to be in here at all, which was a tall narrow linen cupboard in a corner. This was where they were, clearly marked, and the massage oil was there too. In fact, everything in this cupboard was labelled. Josh didn't remember the labels being there before, perhaps that was the new servant's work. Either as a neater way to organise things, or as a way to remember where everything was meant to go, Josh couldn't guess, but it did make it easier to find them. He grabbed them and headed back to the bedroom.  
  
When he returned, he noticed that Greg had turned the bedside lamps on and was now smoothing out the bed for him to lie down on. That Greg was naked told him all he needed to know about what was going to happen this morning.  
  
"Here you go, sir," Josh said.  
  
"Well, go on, you know what to do by now," Greg said. "I just gotta take a piss. You get it all ready for me."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Josh carefully laid out the towels, making sure to cover as much of the bed as he could. He didn't want to spoil Greg's sheets, which were a dusky dark pinky plum colour, now that he could see them. He liked the colour. Somehow, it suited him. There was no fancy trim now, but there was a light faint swirly pattern on them, perhaps meant to resemble clouds or smoke. And they were very soft indeed. He must ask where Greg got them, he could do with a set like that at his place. Perhaps not in that colour, but the design and the fabric were lovely.  
  
When he was all done, he left the massage oil on the bedside table and lay down on his front, waiting for Greg to return. He didn't have to wait long.  
  
"Ah, you're such a good boy, Josh. Where do you need it? Anywhere in particular or just all over?" Greg said as he picked up the oil and rubbed a little into his hands.  
  
"Might as well do everywhere, sir, it's been a long four months," Josh said. And it was true. He had aches and pains all over the place now. But then, it had been quite a physically demanding play, and if he hadn't been as fit as he was, he'd have never got through the run. But he didn't regret any of it, because running around having improvised sword fights with whatever props they could find every night had been the best fun he'd had in a long time.  
  
"I bet it has. Good though, yeah? Worth all the pain?" Greg said as he got to work on his legs.  
  
"Absolutely. Might be more work for me at the end of the year, too. The director liked me enough to pencil me in for another role down the track, so we'll see if he follows through on that," Josh said.  
  
"That's really good to hear, Josh. It's nice to see things picking up for you. I always said you were going places, didn't I?" Greg said.  
  
"Yeah, you did," Josh said, and honestly, he was willing to just lie there in the silence and let Greg work, because he was running his hands down his calves and it felt incredible. He might have let out a groan. He might have heard Greg chuckle about it.  
  
"Yeah, you just let your Daddy work, I'll sort you out in no time," Greg said.  
  
Josh made a happy noise, closed his eyes, and surrendered to it all. He'd missed this. It had probably been at least six months - no, closer to a year, since Greg had last done this for him. He'd only been passing through last time he'd come over, and he'd been staying with a couple of cast members last time as well, so it had just been a short visit with no real time for anything more than a quick fuck. There'd been no time to play, either, because he couldn't be getting involved with kinky stuff when he had a show to do. He would definitely be getting Greg to give him a good whipping this time, while he still had enough time to recover.  
  
He didn't know how he'd survived before he met Greg. Being taken care of like this after a long run was a luxury that he had no desire to give up. But then he was in a much better position now than he had been before. He'd been struggling, sure, but mostly getting by. But after failing an audition he'd actually kind of wanted, there was Greg, watching from the sidelines, and he took him to a pub to commiserate. There, after a few drinks, he offered him another job in one of his productions, one better suited to his talents. Curious, since Josh knew his reputation, he said yes and went home with him, and had not regretted a moment of his relationship with him since.  
  
Every tired knot in his body was flaring up as Greg began working on them. Josh hissed softly at the pain, but it never lasted. Greg's big, strong hands fixed him right up, and his body grew limp and soft and supple once more. There was, if he was honest, a little bit of teasing, but it wasn't meant to be an erotic massage, because he did genuinely need a proper massage, which Greg mostly stuck to as he worked every inch of his body.  
  
That said, there were a couple of light little slaps on his buttocks, along with some wonderful kneading, and if Greg decided to prep him for a fuck at the same time, well, Josh wasn't about to complain either as he felt Greg's fingers teasing him and slip inside, lubing him up.  
  
But he had to wait for the sex. Greg insisted on finishing the job first before he shifted Josh into the position he wanted to fuck him in. Perhaps tomorrow, they would take their time, but not today. They'd been apart for far too long. There were a few kisses, and a little more teasing as Greg prepared, and then it was just sex, and Josh felt that aching need for him slowly fade away. He was here, he was home. Greg was all he needed.  
  


* * *

  
Alex returned to the laundry with the intention of finishing his work, but that's not what he did. He didn't know why the idea of Josh staying bothered him so much, but it did. He felt - he felt _threatened_ , perhaps, but that made no sense to him, because what kind of threat to him was Josh anyway? Josh wasn't going to steal his job. _But he might steal my master_ , suggested his inner voice immediately, which scared him too, because that seemed just so absurd, even though it somehow felt true.  
  
Yes, Greg was his master, but only because he employed him. Certainly, Alex liked him, and he did enjoy his work very much. He was happy here. Josh wasn't even a servant. He was just an old friend, and he suspected Greg had many old friends who might come to stay. But something about Josh worried him, and Alex didn't know why. Well, no, he did know why. He was worried because Josh had been so mean to him, and he wasn't sure he'd like having to serve a guest who was mean to him. Alex knew what he was like in that kind of situation, and he dealt with it by just getting on with the job and pretending it didn't hurt when they called him names or tried to sabotage his service. Thankfully, his masters had always been on his side, but it didn't make it stop, because Alex was always too scared to say anything until they'd gone.  
  
He sat down on his little dog bed, where Greg had taken to sending him to sit in time out when he'd been disobedient. Alex hadn't expected that when he'd first moved in, and he still found it strange and a little uncomfortable to be sitting in a dog bed in the laundry as punishment, as if he were a child, _or a dog_ , who needed correcting. But he wasn't being beaten, and he wasn't having his pay docked, so he couldn't really find any reason to object.  
  
He felt - Alex thought this must be a kink thing, because Greg was into that kind of sex as Alex had discovered on his first day there, but Greg had never explained it this way, and dismissed his concerns as if this was just how he dealt with his servants and he would just have to get used to it. Alex accepted it, even though it made him feel like a disobedient child. He wasn't sure he would get used to it, but he also wasn't sure he had a choice in the matter. It's not like it was the worst punishment he could think of. He would just be made to sit there for anywhere up to an hour and he would only be let out when Greg thought he'd been there long enough. As far as punishments went, it was pretty tame.  
  
The first time he'd been sent there, though, he spent all his time crying, feeling like a failure for not doing his job properly. He'd only been there three days, and he'd already messed up. Alex was an experienced servant, so Greg had given him no leeway at all. He expected him to just pick up the job quickly and get on with it, and paid him accordingly. And for the most part, he had. He just got his breakfast schedules mixed up one morning, and Greg had shouted at him and sent him to sit in the laundry for half an hour.  
  
Alex obeyed, beginning to get a sense of the kind of master he was. It was, in many ways, quite humiliating, and Alex felt that keenly. The laundry was quiet, so it was a good place to just sit and think about what he'd done wrong. Except he was crying and feeling like shit and feeling sorry for himself, rather than thinking about his mistakes. He'd always been a good servant. He'd never been punished for anything before. And yet, here he was, three days in, and he'd already messed up and been punished for it.  
  
When Greg had come to get him, he'd bowed to him and apologised so many times until Greg pulled him up with the back of his shirt collar, glared at him, told him to stop crying, and dragged him into his office. Alex felt he was about to be told off again, and he was, a little bit, but Greg also made him write his punishment down in a log book, and that made it feel very, very real in a way it hadn't before. It had never occurred to him that Greg would keep track of his punishments. Signing his name in the final column felt like a confession of guilt he was sure he wasn't going to shift any time soon.  
  
But then Greg made him kneel and apologise, and Alex had never felt so very small as he apologised again for what he'd done wrong. When Greg was satisfied, he grasped the back of Alex's shirt collar and pulled him to his feet, gave him one last angry glare, and told him to get on with his work. Alex was too scared to disobey and ran off as soon as Greg let him go. It took him another half an hour to stop crying, and a whole week before the shame left him.  
  
If he was honest, he hadn't meant to somehow train himself to flee here whenever he felt he'd done something wrong, but if his master was going to send him there anyway, it seemed to make sense to just go there first. His master would appreciate his forethought, right? Wouldn't he? That he'd know he'd done wrong and punished himself without being asked?  
  
Maybe. Maybe not. Greg didn't seem inclined to stop him doing this, so he felt he didn't mind, but he didn't know, because he hadn't said anything. He wasn't even sure if Greg knew, because he didn't always come to find him or punish him. So perhaps he was punishing himself for things Greg wouldn't have punished him for, things that didn't end up in the punishment log, which Alex did feel quite guilty for as well, since the record was incomplete. Because he couldn't let it go, he'd started his own log in a little notebook he kept in his desk drawer in his office, needing to admit to his wrong-doings, but not to the point he would tell his master about them.  
  
On the other hand, though, Greg could be very strict about how things were done and when they were done, and Alex still hadn't quite got used to that yet. His schedule wasn't just a list of jobs, it was a list of when everything had to be done. Mostly, there was enough room to manage his time and get everything done, but some things needed to be done at precise times, and sometimes, even five minutes out was too late. Alex hated the way he scolded him for it as if he'd been an hour late instead. He felt like a small child being yelled at by a teacher. These transgressions also went in the punishment log, Alex discovered, much to his deep humiliation. He'd only been here four weeks and there were already a dozen entries in there with his signature next to them. He'd never felt more out of his depth than he felt here serving Greg.  
  
Surely, he'd be in trouble for his bad service this morning too, right? Josh would tell on him and he'd be punished for it, and he'd feel awful the entire time Josh was here. This was his first proper guest, and he'd made such a bad job of it. He'd not done his job properly, and he should have known, and he should have been better than that. He was a good servant! He was a professional! He shouldn't be like this. And yet, he was, and he didn't know why. He just sat there and pulled his knees to his chest, staring at nothing, trying to make sense of what he was feeling.  
  
Josh's cutting remarks about his service hurt. Alex prided himself on being a good servant, but Josh had unsettled him so badly he had forgotten how to do his job properly. Greg would be so angry with him when he found out. He didn't pay him as much as he did for Alex to be that bad at his job.  
  
Alex felt he should have adjusted by now. It had been four weeks, and he should have got used to his new job by now. Sure, it was the first time he'd been the only servant employed in a house, and the work he had to do was not insignificant, but the house was small, and the workload was manageable. He'd done this kind of work before. This wasn't daunting. He was fine. It's just-  
  
Greg was not the kind of master he had ever worked for before. He was a good master, and he had perfecting standards like good masters should have, but he was still somehow different from the rest, and Alex was still getting used to him. He was - Alex didn't know the proper words, except that his master had a playroom for sex with all kinds of things in it that Alex had never seen before and didn't understand. Alex knew that because Greg had shown him the room when he'd first moved in.  
  
Alex had never seen a room like it before, but he didn't feel brave enough to say so, because there was something so commanding about the way Greg's hand was pressed against his back, so when Greg asked him if he was alright with this kind of thing, Alex panicked, not knowing what Greg wanted him to say, and mumbled some sort of answer that indicated he was fine, that he knew about these things, and that was no problem. Sure, it was a lie born of panic and fear, but if Greg realised, he said nothing.  
  
Clearly his master was into that kind of thing, going by the whips hanging off the walls and the other things - restraints? - he'd seen and the way he punished him. There was a severe looking bench with cuffs on it too, sitting in a corner, and Alex did not like that bench one bit. He could just imagine some poor boy - _him?_ , his brain suggested at the time - being strapped there and tortured, and the very idea of that scared him.  
  
Alex was determined to ignore it, and not just because Greg said that room was none of his business and he should just keep out of there. Besides, he didn't - think he was like that. Into that kind of sex. It just seemed scary to him. Even the collars Greg kept in a drawer that Alex had seen one time, daring to look because he was just so curious about it, had haunted his dreams for a week afterwards.  
  
Alex shivered at that memory, suddenly wondered what it would feel like to wear a collar, and then pushed the idea out of his head because he wasn't like that. He didn't want that at all. He didn't - no. He wasn't - like that. Was he?  
  
Maybe he was. He had, after all, snuck down to look at the collars not even a week after he'd started working here, just after he'd put his master to bed, pretending like there was something he needed to do downstairs before he went to bed himself. But it wasn't. Well, not entirely. But that closed door was too much of a magnet, and he couldn't resist just one little look. Greg wouldn't know. He'd never find out. It'd be fine.  
  
Sure, he had disobeyed Greg's orders to stay out of that room. But he'd just been curious, even if he didn't understand why, and when he saw the drawers when Greg showed him this room for the first time, he wondered what was in them, and whether they were locked.  
  
Turns out, they weren't, and Alex picked a drawer and pulled it open, seeing a whole bunch of different collars in there. Dog collars, metal collars, chain collars, collars with rings, collars with spikes on them, thick leather collars, even little fine chains that wouldn't even pass as a proper collar. They all had nametags on them, too, as if they all belonged to a particularly boy. He almost, _almost_ , reached out and touched them, wanting to see if those spikes were as sharp as they looked, before he panicked and pulled his hand away, not wanting to leave any evidence that he'd been in here at all.  
  
His sanity, and his guilt, returned, and he knew he shouldn't be in here. He closed the drawer as gently as possible and left immediately, closing the door behind him. The sight of those collars had freaked him out too much and he fled to the laundry, intending to sleep in the dog bed all night to pay for his disobedience, too scared to confess his crimes to his master. Greg didn't know, and he would never know. The shame would be too much to bear.  
  
Except, as soon as he settled, he panicked, because Greg was potentially still awake and would get suspicious if he didn't hear him come back up the stairs to go to bed, because they were the kind of stairs that creaked underfoot, and couldn't be silenced. So, Alex, ashamed and trying not to rush and potentially alert Greg to what he'd done, left the laundry and slowly crept up the stairs to his room, tail between his legs. He spent a moment writing down his crimes in his own little log book and locked it away before he retreated to bed. He did not sleep well, and when he did, all he saw was those collars choking him and holding him down as if they were trying to make him confess. No, he could not tell Greg what he'd done, not at all. He would carry this secret to the grave.  
  
A shiver went down his spine. The laundry was cold. It was always cold. His hands were cold now, and he shivered, curling into himself. He wondered what it would feel like if he had chains on his wrists. After all, his master made him sit in a dog bed when he'd been bad. Maybe he should be chained up like a dog. Perhaps that's all he deserved for being such a bad servant.  
  
It's not like Greg didn't have chains. Alex had seen them on the walls in the playroom. Greg could chain him up if he wanted to. Would they be heavy? He felt they must be. Those chains had not looked at all weightless. What would it be like if they were wrapped around his wrists? Would it hurt?  
  
The decision to get up and go to the playroom again was not one he was conscious of making, but there he was, standing in the doorway, peering in through a tiny crack, trying to decide if he could get away with a second look. Greg and Josh were busy upstairs, they wouldn't hear any of this, right? He could just go and take a look, and if he was quiet, he could maybe touch those chains and see what they felt like. Greg wouldn't know. It'd be fine. Right?  
  
Glancing around to make sure he wasn't being watched, he slipped inside again and closed the door, just to make sure no sound got out, and went over to the chains hanging from the wall. They looked... severe. They weren't all the same thickness, either. Some were big and heavy, others were thinner and lighter. There were also some shackles, and at least one ball and chain that sat on the ground. But there was one chain Alex liked. It was a bright silver colour, maybe about half an inch wide, and he touched it, gently lifted it in his hand, and felt the weight of it. And then, he'd carefully lifted the length of chain off its hook, pushed his sleeve up, and had wrapped it around his wrist, noting how heavy even a light chain like this could feel. His wrist felt pinned down, and he imagined he wouldn't be able to move if Greg pinned him down like that.  
  
But he soon came to his senses, suddenly aware of what he was doing. He quickly unwrapped the chain and hung it back on the hook. No, he definitely wasn't into this kind of thing. Definitely not. He backed away, unable to look away from the chains before he slipped back out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
What the fuck was wrong with him? He'd gone in twice now. Twice! And there were little marks in his skin now from where the chain had been! Greg would know if he saw them. He'd know he'd been in there. He rubbed at his skin then, trying to make them go away, hoping his clothes would hide them so that Greg wouldn't know.  
  
Turning his back on the playroom, he went back to the laundry to finish his work, resolving not to think about any of that stuff again. No, he would lose himself in the work like he normally did, and that would be fine. He'd be fine. He wasn't like that. He didn't - want that. But it didn't stop him thinking about being chained up while he worked.  
  


* * *

  
His watch beeped some time later, breaking him from his fantasies, reminding him that it was time to go and make Greg's breakfast and prepare to wake him up. Alex stared at his watch, filled with indecision. His master hadn't told him Josh was coming. Would he still want to be woken? What if he was meant to make breakfast for Josh too? What would he even want? He didn't even know how he liked his tea. Did he even like tea? What if Greg got angry if Alex only brought breakfast for him and not for Josh? Would he get in more trouble for hiding in here like a coward, or for only half-doing his job? What if Greg didn't want to be woken after all? They-they might be - if Josh was his lover - Alex wouldn't - he didn't want to interrupt, if they were. Greg had told him to leave him alone if he was with his lovers. So-so maybe he should just-  
  
Maybe he shouldn't. But Greg hadn't told him not to, so how could he get cross with him for doing his job when he wasn't told not to? He wasn't a mind-reader!  
  
Alex sat there, racked with indecision, for another five minutes before deciding that doing his job was better than not doing his job, and he wanted to prove he was a better servant than Josh thought he was. So, he left the laundry and headed up to prepare Greg's breakfast.  
  
He quietly made his way through the lounge to the small galley kitchen. It didn't have the complete set-up that the downstairs kitchen had, but it was enough for the few things Alex needed it for. Today, there was a note waiting for him on the counter. It must have been left after Josh got there, because it hadn't been there last night. Alex picked it up and read it, taking in Greg's instructions for breakfast.  
  
"Well, I guess that answers that question. I'd better go get some more eggs," Alex said.  
  
The not-exactly-subtle grunting coming from Greg's bedroom answered the other question Alex had, and he wisely retreated downstairs to finish the laundry, since he didn't need to fix breakfast for another twenty minutes, very glad there was no one around to see just how much he was blushing.  
  


* * *

  
At least Greg had left him a note, which Alex was grateful for. He hadn't really wanted to interrupt them and risk catching them - well. Being intimate. He had assumed this was mostly out of politeness and not invading his master's privacy, but as he stood there, sorting out the clothes, his stomach twisted around again at the thought of them having sex, and he had a very bad feeling that he was jealous of them. The slight tightness in his trousers suggested this was the case.  
  
He had to stop. He wasn't that kind of servant. He'd never - that wasn't what he did. He was a professional. He didn't sleep with his masters. He didn't even fancy them. That's not what he was there for. And anyway, he was married. He had a wife, he had two lovely children, he was very, very happy. So why on earth was he getting jealous of Greg and Josh? More to the point, why was he getting hard just thinking about them having sex? He could still sort of hear them, Greg wasn't exactly quiet when he was having sex, and it was kind of infuriating.  
  
He tried to continue, but the noise was getting to him. He was too distracted to tell his dick to settle down, and it didn't really want to, either. He knew when he'd crossed the line, when he knew he had to do something about his arousal or he'd go crazy. He couldn't serve like this, and not just because he didn't want to serve breakfast with a raging hard-on. He glanced at his watch. He still had time to kill, didn't he? He did, if he was quick. He finished sorting the washing, because he felt he couldn't leave that job unfinished, and quietly and quickly headed upstairs to his room, closing the door behind him.  
  
He leaned against the door, ashamed at himself. He should be better than this. He shouldn't be - oh, God. Somehow, they were louder here, and Alex closed his eyes, desperately wishing this wasn't happening and that his body wasn't reacting at all to them and their - noisy sex.  
  
This was so stupid. He'd never reacted this way before when Greg had quite obviously been having sex with his lovers. He thought he'd mostly learnt to tune it out, and if he was honest, it's half the reason he napped in the evenings, so he could sleep through the sex noises. So why was he like this now? Why was his cock beginning to ache in a way that meant he really would need to have a wank about it before he headed back downstairs or he'd go spare?  
  
That was about as far as his mind went before arousal took over and he was shoving his trousers and pants down as he finally took his cock out. It'd been a long time since he'd felt like this, having a guilty wank when he was meant to be working, but he'd put his service to shame if he didn't do something about it now, so he took his shirt and jacket off, stepped out of his trousers, kicked his shoes off, and sat down on his bed, closing his eyes as he tried to shut out their noises while he touched himself, trying to come as fast as possible.  
  
It was the most unsatisfying wank he'd had in a long time, if he was honest. He came hard, and that was a relief, but it didn't leave him feeling good. If anything, it made him feel more ashamed, that he'd somehow lost his mind in the four weeks he'd been here and now he was going crazy. Perhaps it was just that he hadn't been touched since he'd moved in. Hadn't had sex, hadn't had a wank, hadn't even thought about it because he was too busy working all day.  
  
Maybe he was just missing his wife too much. It's not like she was alone, but he was. She had her wife, and perhaps a boyfriend might come around, she'd said, and Alex was fine with that. He liked that she had company, that she wasn't doing all the work on her own. It made him feel less guilty about being away all the time, though he always tried to call every day if he could. He'd even learnt how to use Skype so he could see his children, and they could see him, though his youngest, barely a year old, had no idea what he was looking at and seemed to just scream all the time.  
  
But for the most part, he was alone. He worked, and at the end of the day when he wasn't working, he was up here in his quarters, too tired to do much else other than perhaps read for a while, or talk to himself (because there was no one else to talk to once he'd called his family), maybe watch some TV if there was something interesting on. Then he'd nap, put his master to bed, then go to bed properly and do it all again the next day.  
  
He was fine with that. It was what he was used to. His master wasn't meant to socialise with him, that wasn't the point. Apart from briefly asking how he was when he brought his breakfast in every morning, everything else they seemed to talk about was about work. They had separate floors, and separate lives, and they weren't meant to be friends. That wasn't the point of it. Greg had his lovers, and his parties, and his friends, and Alex had a whole floor to himself, and no one else to talk to. Last week, he'd started idly browsing the internet on his laptop, looking for people to talk to, just for some kind of conversation, but it didn't really help. He was still alone up here, and his master seemed disinclined to hire another servant. He didn't need one. Alex was perfectly capable of doing everything that needed doing without difficulty or assistance. But he was beginning to realise just how lonely his life was going to be here.  
  
One evening last week, Greg had some friends around, and they were watching something in the lounge together. Alex had tried to ignore them, but Greg had been out all day, and the silence and emptiness of the house had got to him, and he'd snuck downstairs, just to listen to their voices, sitting down on the stairs just out of sight. A part of him really wanted to be invited in, that Greg would find him out there and bring him in, and he'd have a lovely evening with them. There was another part that didn't want to have to socialise with strangers, not when he was the servant, and that if Greg invited him in, he'd just say no and excuse himself, because it wasn't his place. Indeed, when Greg did notice him out there, Alex said he was just waiting in case he needed to get them anything, and so they sent him to get more drinks and snacks, and when that was done, Alex felt too guilty to stay and headed back upstairs, retreating to his room because it was nearly time for him to nap. He lay on his bed, staring at pictures of his family on his phone. He'd never felt so alone before.  
  
Maybe that's why he was getting jealous. Greg was allowed to have lovers, friends, people to stay over and hang out with, and Alex just got to go home every so often for a weekend off, which he was still waiting for. Perhaps he was being starved of attention, of touch, and he hadn't really ever thought this would be a problem for him until it happened, because in every other house he'd been in, at least he'd had company. There'd been other servants he could talk to, or at least live in the same space as, so it didn't feel so lonely. Here, he had no one, because he didn't need anyone else. There wasn't enough work here for two servants, and Alex thought it was too selfish to ask for another servant just for some company. He felt he'd be admitting he wasn't capable of doing all the work Greg paid him to do, which wasn't true at all.  
  
So that left Greg as the only other option he had if he wanted company, which Alex was strongly averse to, even though he did like him very much. In the short time he'd been here, Alex knew they had some things in common, and if their situation was different, Alex might have-, well, perhaps not made a move, because that was too intimidating, but perhaps tried to spend more time with him, hoping that Greg would understand what he wanted and become friends with him. Alex would never ask to be friends, though. That felt too impertinent. But if he hung around enough, perhaps Greg would ask instead, and maybe-maybe it would be alright then.  
  
Alex had always been taught never to socialise with his bosses. That wasn't how things were done. That wasn't the kind of relationship they were meant to have at all. But maybe that only made sense in a big house with lots of servants. Maybe things were different in a small house when it was just him and his master. But he'd never been in this situation before so he didn't know what the rules were. Everything inside him was screaming against imposing on Greg's life like that, so he kept away, keeping out of his life as much as possible. It wasn't right. It wasn't his place. He was just the servant. That's all he was, even though some lonely nights he yearned for his company, just to have someone to talk to about things that weren't work.  
  
But he was afraid of bringing any of this up with Greg because he thought Greg would just dismiss his concerns and nothing would change. Greg wasn't his friend, he was his employer. Alex didn't want to put his job at risk by speaking up. He would just quietly get on with the work, just like he always did, and everything would be fine. At least, that's what he'd tell himself.  
  
He glanced at his watch. He really should get breakfast ready now. He'd be cutting it fine if he stayed in here any longer. He got to his feet, cleaned himself up, did his best to make sure he didn't smell like he'd just been wanking or attempting to cover up that fact, got dressed, and headed down to the main kitchen to get what he needed. Then it was back up to the smaller kitchen to begin his work, and his mind appreciated the distracted focus, because he didn't think about how lonely he was while he was serving. He had to make a good impression, and not mess up this meal at all.  
  


* * *

  
"You should've told me Sean was leaving, I was really looking forward to seeing him again. What happened to him? Why'd he go?" Josh said, cuddling up next to Greg as they snuggled up in bed together again.  
  
"Oh, shit, didn't I tell you? Oh, man, I'm sure I meant to tell you about Sean because I know you were friends. But then it was a bit sudden, so you’ll have to excuse the tardiness. So, of course, you know Sean and his husband have been trying to adopt for years, right?” Greg said.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I do. I know it’s been rough on them. He told me they’d got a lot of rejections because of his work, because he lived away from home. Did something happen then? Have they got a kid now?” Josh said.  
  
“Yeah, they do, they finally got approved a few months ago. Obviously, Sean wasn't going to stay once that happened, and I was happy to let him go, because family's important and I wouldn't keep him here out of spite, but I do miss him. He has kept in touch though. They've adopted a lovely little girl, a three-year-old, who seems to be very happy with her new dads." Greg reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his phone so he could show Josh a photo. "There you go, that's them. They came over just after the adoption to have dinner with me, she's a lovely kid. Sean's going to be a great dad."  
  
Josh smiled at the photo of Sean and his partner and their new daughter. They all looked very happy together. "Aww, that's lovely. I'm glad he left for a good reason then, even if I'll miss him while I'm here. I would love to catch up with him though. I'd have told you to pass on my details if I'd known he was going. I'll have to make a date to see him while I'm here. We've got a lot to catch up with."  
  
"Maybe I'll invite them for dinner again, since you're staying here for a while. How does that sound?" Greg said.  
  
"Oh, that'd be great, if they're free. Yeah, see if that's possible, and if not, see when Sean's available for lunch. I've got a great new restaurant I want to try and I think he'll love it," Josh said.  
  
"Sure thing. I'll let you know what he says," Greg said. "Speaking of my servants, you are going to be nice to Alex while you're here, aren't you? I know what you're like, Josh. He's not your slave. He's _my_ servant. Don't you go getting any ideas for bullying him or I'll throw you out. You're only here while I let you stay, don't forget that, yeah?"  
  
Josh pretended to look more upset than he was. He knew better than to push his luck while he was here. Greg, unfortunately, knew him far too well for him to get away with that stuff now, and his tone of voice made it very clear that Greg was not joking about this. "Aww, you're no fun, Greg. But alright, I'll try to be nice to the little boy, though it's not my fault he's so scared of me. I can't control that."  
  
"Jesus Christ, how have you managed to scare him already? You've only been here an hour, you prick!" Greg said.  
  
Josh laughed. "I can't be blamed for him being scared of me being tired and grumpy, can I? That's on him. How long's he been here anyway?"  
  
"He's been here about a month, more or less. One of my friends recommended him to me about a year ago, but he wasn't free to start work when Sean left. I thought he'd be worth a shot to replace Sean, so I interviewed him and I liked him immediately, and he got the job as soon as his last one was finished. He's done a good job so far, too. I'm very happy to have him around," Greg said.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't think he'd been here very long, he did seem a bit skittish this morning. You did tell him I was coming, didn't you? Only he didn't seem to know, and his service was quite lacking because of that. You might want to have a word with him," Josh said.  
  
"Oh, fuck, I knew there was something I forgot to do last night. Shit. To be fair though, you did call very late and I was a little distracted," Greg said.  
  
"Please, it was a little before 11pm, just before the train left. I didn't even do any dirty talk for you, you old tosser. You're not getting old and senile are you? Is 11pm getting too late for you, granddad?" Josh teased.  
  
Greg just shook his head dismissively. "I am nobody's granddad, thank you very much, so you can take that back right now, you little brat."  
  
Josh grinned. "Alright, alright, you're not a granddad, sir. You didn't tell me to take back old and senile though, sir."  
  
"Oi!" Greg cuffed him over the ears, and Josh overplayed the pain a little bit, but pain had not been the point of that rebuff.  
  
"Alright, alright, you are not old and senile either, sir!" Josh said.  
  
"Thank you, Josh. I don't know how you have the temerity to complain about Alex's service when you're being like this, you know. At least I can spank you to punish you for talking back to me," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, does that mean you'd spank Alex if he'd let you, would you? Does he know that? Does he know you'd love to have him wearing your collar and kneeling at your feet? You fantasise about all your servants like that, don't you? Tell me I'm wrong, go on," Josh said.  
  
"You're not wrong, Josh, I know. I'm a terrible boss. But it's so hard to find good servants who would also submit to me. I've got lucky a few times, but it's like they're really good at the work, or they're really good at the submission, and I've never found one yet who's good at both," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, I reckon Alex might be good at both," Josh said.  
  
Greg laughed at that suggestion. "Nah, he's not, he's just being a servant, it's just how he is, yeah? I think I'd know if he was submissive. He's just obsequious. It's nothing kinky."  
  
"Oh, that's where I think you're wrong, sir. I think he is submissive. Can't you see it? Maybe he isn't even aware of it himself either, but it's there. How'd he react to the dog bed? Go on, just humour me," Josh said. He sat back and crossed his arms, looking at Greg expectantly, goading him into seeing what he'd clearly not seen yet.  
  
Greg turned to look at him, puzzled. "He reacted the way they always react? He didn't complain, he just accepted it. They all do. It's fine. Why would that be a problem?"  
  
"It's not normal, that's why, Greg. It's not normal to punish your servants by making them sit in time out in a dog bed. Your boys, sure, that's one thing, but not your paid servants. You didn't even do this with Sean, because he refused! Have you forgotten that? If Alex just accepted it without question, and he's an experienced professional servant with an exceptional record, then what does that tell you? Come on, Greg, you've had too many submissive boys for you to be this fucking oblivious, I swear to God," Josh said, sounding a little exasperated.  
  
Greg seemed to think about this for a while, and Josh waited for him to connect the dots and figure out what had, to him, seemed painfully obvious. He felt he was right. Servants weren't always, as a rule, submissive. Sean wasn't. Josh had known that right away. But Alex definitely had to be, if he'd just accepted the dog bed without question.  
  
"Oh. Yeah. I mean, he did say he was fine with the playroom, but I thought he was just being polite. Professional, you know? I didn't think he was really submissive. Do you really think he's submissive?" Greg said, realisation dawning on his face.  
  
"I'd bet fifty quid on it, a hundred if he's also oblivious just like you and has no idea he even wants it," Josh said, offering a hand.  
  
"I mean, I'd be stupid to shake on that if, as I suspect, you're correct about him. But I'm willing to be proved wrong. Deal," Greg said, shaking his hand anyway.  
  
"Honestly, if I didn't say anything, I'm sure the two of you would never have figured it out. I mean, you do like him, right?" Josh said.  
  
"Of course I like him. I wouldn't have hired him if I didn't like him. But yes, I confess, I've been having those dreams about him, you know? You know the ones. The kinky ones. I always have those about boys I want to play with," Greg said.  
  
Josh shook his head, but he wasn't surprised. "Yeah, I thought you might. Why don't we see if he's as submissive as I think he is? A little competition, if you will. Besides, you won't know if you never even test the waters with him. Tell him to kiss you. See if he obeys. If he does, I think I'll have proved my point, right?"  
  
"Alright, I'll do it. And if he doesn't kiss me?" Greg said.  
  
"Then I admit I was wrong, and then I get all your attention while I'm here, rather than have to share you with him, because I know what you're like with your new boys. You obsess over them, trying to figure out what they like and how they react to you. And, look, it's been a year, alright? I'm not going to go without this time," Josh said.  
  
"You won't go without, even if he is submissive. Look at him, he's a timid little mouse. It's not like he's going to just agree if I call him on it, is he? He looks like the kind of sub who'd rather run away than face me. And you know I'd never force it if he wasn't into it, you know that. It'll be fine. You'll get your playtime, don't you worry about that. I've missed you too much. I need to mark you again, I dreamt so much last night about all the new toys I've got that I can mark you with now," Greg said.  
  
A shiver went up Josh's spine at that thought. "Oh, God, you got new toys? Just for me?"  
  
"Oh yes, yes I did. I told you I’d spent the past month thinking of new things to do with you, since you made me wait to have you here. But I'm not going to tell you what they are, that's going to be a surprise. I'll blindfold you and mark you so prettily, and there's nothing you can do about that, my friend," Greg said.  
  
"Can I walk around and show Alex those marks? Because I bet he never gets to see what you do with your boys either, so he probably has no idea what he'd be getting himself in for, right? I think we should show him. Give him something to think about for a while. I'll go get my collar, and I'll be the best little submissive boy I can be while I'm here. Let's see how long he holds out for, yeah?" Josh said.  
  
"Fuck. Alright. I mean, mostly it's just none of his business what I do with my boys, but if you're willing to be open with it, then maybe that'll help him figure it out one way or another, yeah? Go on, go get your collar. I miss seeing you in it," Greg said.  
  
Josh kissed him. "Yes, sir, right away, sir."  
  


* * *

  
In the little galley kitchen, Alex stood there, frozen, unable to avoid listening to their conversation, because they were talking about him. He didn't - he had no idea what they were talking about, not really. He didn't really understand submission. He didn't know why Josh seemed to think _he_ was submissive, either. He was a servant, that's what he did. He was just like that. That didn't mean he was submissive, did it? He didn't - he didn't want Greg like that, did he?  
  
He couldn't help thinking about the collars he'd seen, and he was sure, somehow, that Josh would go down there, open that drawer, and know he'd seen them too. Surely he'd know. He should just confess now, get punished, and forget this ever happened. Then maybe he'd stop feeling guilty about it every time he looked at the door to the playroom. Maybe then he'd stop going _into_ the playroom, since he'd done that twice now. Once, he could forgive as idle curiosity, but twice? _Twice?_ What the hell was he thinking? And he'd - he'd wrapped that chain around his wrist, too. That wasn't just idle curiosity, was it? He pushed up his sleeve, and was thankful that there were no marks there anymore. He'd have to write that in his log, too, along with that guilty wank, because he really should be punished for those, but he knew he'd never be brave enough to confess to them. But that thought just made him wonder how Greg might punish him, and the image of being tied down with whips entered his mind unhindered, and he felt a surge of arousal that he absolutely did not want to acknowledge.  
  
Shaking himself out of his fantasies, he tried to concentrate on his job for once. He just needed to pour the tea and then it was all ready to go. He turned his attention back to the teapot and checked his watch, making sure it had brewed for long enough. Greg was strict about this timing too, and once the alarm beeped, he got the two cups ready and poured the tea in. Then it was just a matter of arranging the dishes on the tray and bringing it out to him. Them. Should he wait for Josh to return, or would that be giving away that he'd been listening? Did they know he was here, too? Would they have realised he could hear them? Is that why Josh started that conversation at a point when he knew Alex would overhear them?  
  
Alex decided he didn't want to think about any of that and just get on with his job. He picked up the tray, cradling it on one arm against his body as he knocked on the door, alerting his master that he was there.  
  
"Breakfast, sir!" Alex called, not wanting to open the door in case he was still naked.  
  
"Come on in, Alex, Josh won't be a moment," Greg called.  
  
Tentatively, Alex opened the door, and saw Greg still in bed, though clearly, he hadn't bothered dressing after - well. After. He tried not to look like he was gawping as he presented the tray to his master, kneeling beside the bed as he'd been told to do.  
  
"Here you are, sir. I-I hope I got Josh's breakfast right. It's the one on the, er, on the right," Alex said, praying that he wasn't blushing furiously, though he suspected he was, given how hot his face felt.  
  
Greg just looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Alex. How are you this morning?"  
  
"Me, sir? Oh, I'm fine, sir, why, sir?" Alex said, unable to hear anything he said now as innocent.  
  
"Oh, Josh just said you were a bit off this morning. Anything wrong? You don't need a break this weekend, do you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex inhaled sharply, then worried he was giving himself away. Part of him really wanted to just escape, to go home to his wife and get all this ... _desire_ ... out of his system. But that's not what he said as he got up to leave him and Josh alone to eat. "Oh, oh, no, I was just - I didn't know he was coming, I was just - a bit surprised, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I'll go to the laundry, I'll do better next time, I promise."  
  
Greg grabbed his arm and Alex stopped. "No, I'm not finished with you yet. Sit down."    
  
Alex obeyed immediately. He knelt down again, murmured a 'yes, sir', and bowed his head, unsure what else Greg might want to talk to him about. "Did I do something wrong, sir?"  
  
"No, no, you didn't. It's fine. I'm sorry Josh caught you out this morning, I should have told you, made sure you knew he was coming, but I forgot. It's my fault. He was meant to be here a month ago, actually, but he got more work, and I didn’t know which day he’d be coming. I promise, you're not in trouble, alright? Now, how are you, really? You seem a bit flustered this morning. Is everything alright?" Greg said.  
  
Greg touched his shoulder, reassuringly, and Alex felt a flood of, well, _everything_. Greg had never _touched_ him before, not like this. The last person who'd touched him had been his wife, when he'd hugged her goodbye. And now Greg was just touching his shoulder gently, reassuringly, and Alex had no idea what to do with that. He wasn't - they didn't - he wanted to pull away, but he also wanted to hug him so tight and never let him go, because now he craved touch. He'd just ignored the urges before, but he couldn't anymore, not now.  
  
And then - and then Greg just gently touched his cheek and Alex felt all his defences melt away. Greg was staring right at him, and Alex couldn't look away, but his eyes weren't angry, they were kind. Alex wondered if he looked as panicked as he was inside. This - this wasn't normal. He didn't - he shouldn't -  
  
"Kiss me, Alex," Greg said.  
  
Alex froze. He was sure his brain was shutting down. He'd heard them talk about that, about Greg making Alex kiss him, but he hadn't thought it would happen now, not so soon, anyway. Was - was this really a test? To see if he would obey? Everything in his body wanted to obey. That's what he'd signed up for. He was meant to obey him. He was his boss. His master. That was his job, to obey him. But this - he shouldn't-  
  
Alex had leaned over, placing his hands on the edge of the mattress, and lifted himself up and kissed his cheek before he'd really been aware that's what he'd decided he was doing. And then before he could even comprehend _that_ , Greg had grasped the back of his head and kissed him back. On the lips. Alex didn't even pull away then. He just gave in. Besides, Greg decided to grasp his arm with his other hand, and it felt like an iron bar holding him down, keeping him from escaping.  
  
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Greg said as he pulled away, his whole face smiling at him.  
  
Alex tried to speak, but his brain was all mush. The sheer commanding nature of that kiss had shaken him, because _he’d enjoyed it_. He’d enjoyed being forced to kiss him; to be held and restrained and prevented from leaving thrilled him in ways he’d never experienced before. But before he could really understand what that might mean, he heard Josh's voice and he wondered if he'd seen all of that and wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.  
  
"Got my collar sir, if you want to collar me. After all, that is your job, sir," Josh said.  
  
Greg pushed Alex away as he got out of bed, and Alex wasn't expecting it. He hadn't been told to leave, but he very much wanted to. He wanted to crawl away into the kitchen and get away from them and get on with his work. But just as he was about to, he felt a hand grasp the back of his shirt collar, stopping him from leaving.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah, where the fuck are you going, Alex? I didn't say you could leave. Kneel there in silence until I tell you to go," Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir," Alex forced himself to say.  
  
He knelt in place as soon as Greg let him go, feeling all kinds of strange emotions he'd never felt before. Greg was bossing him around, and he was just taking it without complaint. If any of his previous masters had behaved like this with him, he'd have refused straight away, but he had no resistance in him now. He couldn't bring himself to disobey him. Something about Greg made him obey him like this, and Alex didn't know why, nor if he even wanted to know why.  
  
Alex watched as Greg went over to Josh, who handed him his collar as he knelt as his feet. It was a simple leather collar, like a dog collar, and Josh bowed his head as Greg fastened it around his neck.  
  
Alex didn't really know where he was meant to look, or what he was meant to look at. He wanted to avert his eyes. After all, they were both naked, and Alex thought it highly inappropriate for him to be seeing this at all, but he felt Greg didn't want him to look away either. He wanted Alex to see this, if their conversation was anything to go by.  
  
Alex had never felt so uncomfortable in his life before. They were both clearly ignoring him, so he felt like a pervert, a voyeur, a creep just watching this scene unfold as if it was something he got off on, when all he wanted to do was leave and get on with his work. He desperately wanted to look away, but couldn't. His hands balled into tight fists as he watched Greg grasp Josh's hair rather roughly and pull his face against his groin. The look of contented bliss on Josh's face scared Alex. He didn't - he didn't want that. He wasn't into that. Was he?  
  
It's not like he'd never been in that position before. There'd been...  
  
Alex closed his eyes. No. Tim had just ... moved on. Moved away. Found someone else to love. They'd always been lovers of convenience, anyway. It worked when they lived together, but that was about it. But they'd always kept in touch and saw each other as often as they could, because their friendship was too strong to break over falling in love with other, better people, but Alex had never missed him as much as he missed him in that moment. He remembered how good it felt to kneel at his feet, to also feel Tim grasping his hair, making him suck him off. But it hadn't been - it wasn't _that_. It wasn't - _submission_. Was it? Then again, he had always been the one kneeling at Tim's feet, it was never the other way around. But that didn't mean - he just liked it - Tim just knew what to do, Alex was happy to let him lead, it wasn't-  
  
"Oi! I didn't say you could close your eyes, Alex!" Greg barked.  
  
Alex obeyed instantly, unable to pretend that there wasn't a bulge between his legs now. Josh was now properly sucking Greg's cock, and Alex prayed silently that this would be over soon. He had so much to do today and his schedule was already in a mess because of Josh. He didn't want to get in trouble for not doing all the work he was meant to do. He'd have to run to the shops to buy more food! There was all the washing to do, and-and he'd need to wash more towels, and maybe the sheets again, and put the spare towels out for Josh, and he'd have to adjust _all_ the menu plans to include two people and not one, and get the new china out and-and-  
  
His mind was a haze of panic now, which at least meant he wasn't thinking about what they were doing in front of him. But now he was itching to get on with his work, and the to-do list in his head was growing ever longer as he tried to remember all the guest procedures Greg had thrown at him on his first day. He badly wanted to interrupt them, to beg Greg to let him go and get on with his day, but he didn't have permission to go, and he was too scared and too confused to speak up.  
  
But then his gaze was drawn to the way Josh was now just leaning against him, and Greg was holding him close, holding him gently, just stroking his hair softly, and something in that seemed ... nice. Familiar. Tim used to do that to him too. Once he was finished, Tim would just stroke his hair and Alex would cling to him and it felt incredible.  
  
Greg looked over at him then, and Alex didn't notice for a moment. But when he did, he saw the scowl and suddenly wondered if Greg had noticed he'd drifted off. He sat up straight, but dared not say anything.  
  
"Get up. Come over here. Let me see what sort of state you're in," Greg said.  
  
The professional part of his brain was screaming at him to get out, that this wasn't how things were done, that he was better than this, but it was overridden by the obedient part, and he got to his feet and approached him, head bowed meekly, afraid of what was about to happen to him. He had a feeling he knew, but he didn't want to disobey. When Greg's hand grasped him firmly through his trousers, feeling out just how hard he was, Alex closed his eyes, ashamed. He was about to be fired, wasn't he? That's what was going to happen. Greg didn't pay him to be like this. This wasn't what he was meant to be doing.  
  
"Yeah, I thought so," Greg said. He let him go and lifted his chin up. "Look at me."  
  
Alex obeyed, unsure what on earth Greg was looking for, but he seemed to find it, and he smiled. Well, smirked, perhaps. Alex just felt himself begin to tremble, unsure what to do with all this touch and arousal. He was definitely on edge now.  
  
"You know all about submission, don't you, Alex?" Greg asked.  
  
A shiver ran down Alex's spine. He'd been caught out. Greg obviously was being like this because he thought he knew. That he liked this. But Alex had just been lying out of fear. He couldn't blag his way out of this one. He didn't know the words. He still wasn't really sure he understood what submission was, or why Greg might want him to be like that. There was nothing to do but confess, because that seemed easier than getting even further out of his depth. He had no idea what Greg was going to do with him and he didn't want to find out, if he was being honest, not if Greg thought Alex knew what he was doing.  
  
"I-I don't- nothing sir, nothing. I don't- I'm not - like that, sir?" Alex stammered, unsure what else to do except be honest.  
  
"Is that a hint of uncertainty in your voice, Alex?" Greg said, though Alex was surprised that he didn't sound cross. Alex merely nodded, unsure what else to do. "Were you lying to me when you said you were fine with it and understood this kind of sex?"  
  
Alex nodded again. He wanted so very much to fall to his knees and beg forgiveness for misrepresenting his position and lying to his master. He'd made Greg believe he was kinky, and Alex wasn't sure he was. ( _Oh, you definitely are_ , his mind retorted, but Alex refused to hear it.)  
  
"Why did you lie about that, Alex? Why did you think I wanted to hear you say you were kinky if you weren't?" Greg said.  
  
"I-I don't know, sir, I panicked, I didn't know what to say! I thought that's what you wanted from me," Alex said.  
  
"I want you to be honest with me, Alex, that's what I want. So you really don't know anything about this at all? You're not kinky, and you don't know what being submissive is all about?" Greg said.  
  
Alex shook his head. "I don't know anything, I'm sorry, I-I, let me go and I'll pack up my things. I'm sorry for wasting your time, sir. I can't be that kind of servant for you. I hope you find someone better suited to this job than me."  
  
"What makes you think I want you to go? I'm very happy with your service. I don't need you to be submissive to work for me, if that's what you think I want," Greg said.  
  
Alex looked up at him anxiously. "But, why else would you show me the playroom if you didn't need me to be submissive? You could have just said that room was off-limits. I'd have obeyed. I wouldn't have gone in. I didn't need to know what was in there, I promise."  
  
"I showed you what was in there because I know what idle curiosity is like. It's better to show my servants what's in there and why it's none of their business than leave them not knowing and wondering, because then they end up dying to know and sneaking in. I bet even you've been in the playroom, sneaking in during the night when I'm asleep. You went in, didn't you? Did it make you curious? What did you see in there?" Greg said.  
  
Alex balled his fists, feeling like a rabbit caught in a floodlight, frozen in fear. Was that why he'd shown him the playroom? To see if he'd go in? To break his orders and see what it was like in there? Was that another test? Is that how he knew? He'd probably given himself away by now, hadn't he? His frozen silence was his confession. There was no hiding anymore. The confession poured out of him unbidden.  
  
"I- the collars, sir, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I was just curious, and you said not to go in there, but I did, but it was only for a minute and I didn't touch anything, I swear, I just wanted to see what was in the drawers, I'm so sorry, sir, I won't go in there again, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Alex said, realising he was perhaps sounding a tad hysterical, but unable to stop himself.  
  
Greg laughed. "Only the collars, Alex? You walked past everything else and just looked at the collars? Well, I am surprised."  
  
"I-I don't - I didn't go looking for them specifically, I just wanted to open one of the drawers, but I-" Alex started, but then the shame hit as he remembered what else he'd done, and he fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands. "And-and it wasn't just the collars. I-... I touched the chains today, sir. I just ... wanted to know how heavy they were. I-I wrapped one around my wrist, sir, just to feel what it was like."  
  
"Oh, really? And did you like that? Did it feel how you thought it would feel? Why were you drawn to the chains anyway?" Greg said, clearly amused by his suffering.  
  
"B-because you make me sit in a dog bed when I've been bad, and I-I wondered why you didn't just chain me up. Like a dog. It's all I deserve, right?" Alex said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. Then the tears came, along with a cascade of guilt. The sound of Greg laughing at him did not help. And Alex was sure Greg was laughing _at_ him, not with him.  
  
"Oh, God, you really are a submissive little puppy, aren't you? Christ. Not once have any of my servants ever asked me if I could chain them up while they’re in time out. None of them. Only you, Alex Horne. Jesus. How are you this clueless about your own desires? You clearly want to be submissive, you just don't know what that means, do you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex shook his head. He felt awful now. How was it his fault that he didn't know about these things? No one had ever asked before! No one had ever told him about these things! How was he expected to know if no one told him the words? You couldn't think about things you didn't know the words for!  
  
He really wanted Greg to just send him away. Send him to the laundry. Let him cry out an hour in punishment for disobeying him, that'd be fine, that's all he deserved. He-he should chain him up, too, to stop him going in the playroom again. There must be something wrong with him. He wrapped a chain around his wrist! He wanted to be chained up! Where on earth was this coming from? He'd never had any kind of fantasies like this before. This house was clearly sending him mad. Greg was corrupting him, that had to be it. He wouldn't have thought about any of these things if he hadn't come here. He should go before he got sucked in any deeper and discovered even more perverted things about himself.  
  
A hand touched his shoulder then, and Alex flinched. He looked up to see Josh reaching for him and he pulled away, not wanting to be near him.  
  
"It's alright, Alex, it's fine, I-" Josh started.  
  
"No! Don't touch me, please?" Alex said, looking at him warily. He shifted away, back from him and from Greg, feeling hemmed in and overwhelmed.  
  
"But I wasn't trying-" Josh protested.  
  
"Give it a rest, Josh. You're just making it worse. Go sit by the door. I'll deal with you later," Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir," Josh said and crawled away.  
  
Alex watched him go, even more concerned at how well he'd get by with him in the house. He didn't take his eyes off him as Greg knelt down before him and touched his shoulder.  
  
"Are you alright? I didn't mean to make you cry, Alex, I'm sorry, are you alright?" Greg said. "Do you need some space? Some time on your own? I know I've pushed you really far this morning, but I never wanted to upset you."  
  
Alex sniffed and wiped his eyes, turning to look at Greg at last. He wasn't expecting him to be looking at him with such concern and compassion. Did Greg actually care about him? Why on earth would he care about him? He was just his boss. Alex never expected him to care about him.  
  
"Come on, get up, you're alright, Alex, you're fine. You're not weird for liking these things. It's alright to have these desires, even if you don't understand them, yeah?" Greg said, taking his hands.  
  
Alex resisted for a moment before he let Greg pull him to his feet, and he stood there, feeling awkward and humiliated. He didn't like this feeling at all, particularly because for some reason, he was still hard, and that just made his embarrassment worse.  
  
Greg cupped his cheek gently then. He didn't seem angry, but Alex was still scared. He felt exposed. This wasn't meant to happen. He was a professional! He shouldn't be doing this! But the way Greg was touching him did slowly calm him down.  
  
"It's alright, Alex, it's fine. I guess you were just overwhelmed by everything. It is a bit much for the inexperienced. You should have said something though. I wouldn't have been cross with you if it was all new to you. You heard that conversation before, didn't you? About submission?" Greg said.  
  
Alex nodded. "You wanted me to, didn't you? Because you - think that's what I am. Submissive."  
  
"Well, Josh thinks you are, and now that I'm looking at you properly, I think I agree with him. If it's something you want to explore, or if you just want to talk to us about it, you'd be more than welcome to. I mean, you might need some time to get your head around it all, but that's fine. Maybe I'll get Josh to help you while he's here. You two might get on, and maybe it'd be nice for you to have someone to help you out. How does that sound?" Greg said.  
  
Alex hesitated. He very much did _not_ want that, and it seemed to confirm his fears that Josh was there simply to take his job from him. Besides, he'd been so mean to him. Alex didn't want to work with him if he was going to just be mean to him. And anyway, there wasn't enough work for two servants! What would be the point of them working together? He didn't need any help! "Do I have a choice, sir? I-I don't need any help, it's fine, I can manage-"  
  
"I mean, you can refuse if you like, but I think it'd be good for you to have some company, don't you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex felt very much that Greg’s tone indicated that he did _not_ have a choice, but he wasn’t sure he was brave enough to say so. “But, he’s your guest, sir, why would you make him help me?”  
  
“He’s my boy, and he works for me in lieu of paying rent. This is what he always does when he stays with me, it’s fine. Why are you resisting this so much? Surely any servant would appreciate having someone to share the workload with. You’ll have a lot more free time this way while he’s here. Anyone would think you _liked_ being alone up there,” Greg said.  
  
"No, sir, I-I mean, I'm fine, I don't ... need company, I'm fine. It's fine. He's your guest, not mine. I don't - want to get in the way," Alex said, trying to find a way to avoid working with Josh. That would be too much. Josh would steal his master, after all, and he'd be left to find a new job. But maybe that would be for the best, so he could get out of this place and stop thinking about ... chains. But he liked being here. He liked his job! He just didn't want Josh around. He wasn't that desperate for friendship that he'd make friends with someone who seemed to just want to bully him.  
  
"You don't need company? Are you sure? I mean, you're the one keeping yourself out of the way, I'd like to point out. I never said you had to keep out of my way. That's all on you. This is your house too, Alex. I want you to feel at home here," Greg said.  
  
"But this isn't my house, it's _your_ house, sir!" Alex protested. There was a big part of his brain that wanted him to run. away. right. now but it was being ignored by the part of his brain that was keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground in front of his master. He didn't want to know why that part of his brain was winning, because the answer scared him.  
  
"As long as you live here, it's your house too, Alex. That's what I told you when you first moved in. You don't have to live apart from me. We're allowed to be friends. I know that seems deeply inappropriate to you, but it's just you and me, Alex. When Josh isn't here anymore in a month or so, it's just going to be you and me. What's the point in being strangers? I'm sure you get lonely up there on your own, and you wouldn't be the first either. There's no shame in being lonely and wanting company," Greg said.  
  
Alex could think of many reasons to argue against this point. "I-but, I can't, we can't-it's not _done_ sir, I-"  
  
"By all means, stay up on your floor by yourself if you really want to, but I'd like to get to know you and spend time with you. You're a good servant, and you do want to stay, right? So let's be friends, yeah? And don’t worry about Josh, he’s a good boy, you’ll like him. Just trust me on this, Alex. I know what’s good for you," Greg said.  
  
Alex closed his eyes and bowed his head. He hated the idea of being up there on his own forever, but he was too proud to admit it. But Greg's touch was getting to him as he gently brushed his cheek with his thumb. Alex leaned into the sensation, and let Greg coax his gaze back up at him. Alex was feeling an awful lot of things at once that he didn't know what to do with.  
  
“Trust you, sir?” Alex said. “But-but I don’t need-“  
  
Greg silenced him by pressing a finger to his lips. “You do, Alex, you do. I’ve had boys and servants here for over twenty years. I know what I’m doing. I know you better than you know yourself. Besides, I want to see how you work with others, and how you delegate, because when I have big parties here, I get some of my boys working as extra staff, and you’ll be in charge of them all. I need to know you can handle it. So consider this a trial, yeah? Prove to me you can do this.”  
  
Alex felt that was all he needed to have said right from the beginning to get him to agree to it. He might not like Josh in the end, he’d never got on with every servant he’d ever had to work with, but if there was a higher purpose to it that wasn’t just Greg feeling like Alex needed company, then that made sense to Alex. He could accept that. That made it work then. That was part of his job. That was fine. He could push past his resistance for that if he had to. He might not like it, but he'd do it.  
  
“Alright, I’ll work with Josh, if that’s what you want me to do,” Alex said.  
  
“I mean, at least try to sound like I haven’t just forced you into this, Alex. I’ll make Josh pay rent for once if the very suggestion of working with him is really that abhorrent to you,” Greg said.  
  
“No, no, it’s fine, I’ll work with him. It’s – you want to know I can delegate, and I can, I’m really good at that, sir. I’ll show you what I can do,” Alex said, trying to sound as eager to please him as he could, even though he really wasn't that keen to work with him.  
  
Greg smiled and gently brushed his cheek. “Good boy. It’s not that I don’t trust what you said you can do. Your references backed up everything. But I’d like to see what you can do without the pressure of a huge dinner party before I throw you head-first into that situation in a couple of months, yeah? I need to know you can cope.”  
  
Alex nodded. That did make sense. “Yes, sir, I’ll do my best for you, sir.”  
  
“I know you will, Alex,” Greg said before he pulled Alex into a tight hug.  
  
If Alex was honest, it was better than he could have ever imagined. He'd never been hugged like that before. Greg's embrace was strong, firm, unmoving. It was like being held in chains, being unable to move. Alex didn't want to move, even if he'd been able to. He felt safe and wanted, which just added to his confusion. He shouldn't want this, and yet, hadn't he been waiting for Greg to make the first move? To offer the hand of friendship because he was too scared to ask for it himself? Because it was different if his _master_ wanted to be friends, right?  
  
Alex didn't want it to stop, if he was honest, but he wasn't going to protest when Greg let him go. He didn't even mind that Greg was naked when he hugged him. He'd been touched. He'd been hugged. That had calmed him in ways he had never thought possible, not by a stranger. He was terrible at dealing with other people when he wasn't being a servant. Too shy. Too willing to just hang back and run away because it was better than being that one awkward person who didn't know how to talk to people. He didn't really know what to do with affection either. It's not like only his wife was allowed to have other partners. He could have other partners too, if he wanted. But it just seemed too daunting. Apart from Tim, who he loved but would never trust his life with, everyone else seemed too scary. Too unobtainable. He felt he'd used up all his wooing skills on his wife, and he wasn't sure he could do it again.  
  
"Look, if I've overstepped the mark this morning, I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you'd react to those things. If it's not something you're comfortable with, it'll go no further. Not unless you want it to, of course. Tell me what you're feeling," Greg said.  
  
Alex saw Josh shift out of the corner of his eye and Alex glanced down at the floor, suddenly remembering he was there too. Suddenly all the words got stuck in his throat. Sex was hard to talk about at the best of times, let alone with company, let alone with anyone other than his wife. "N-n-can it just- be you and me, sir? I don't- can't- please, sir."  
  
"No, no, I understand. Go on, Josh, go take your things upstairs and settle into the spare room while I take care of Alex. We'll come and get you when we're done. Oh, and take your breakfast, so Alex's hard work doesn't go unappreciated," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, of course, yes, sir, thank you, sir," Josh said as he got to his feet. "Thank you for breakfast, Alex."  
  
"Oh, n-no problem, Josh," Alex said, unable to not respond to him. It did feel nice to be thanked, though, and Josh did seem genuinely thankful. Alex hoped he had made it right. Greg's instructions had been quite extensive. Hopefully, he wasn't thanking him for no reason and he wasn't trying to lull him into trusting him before he started being mean to him again.  
  


* * *

  
Josh didn't mind leaving Greg and Alex to talk. He could tell Alex was rather overwhelmed by everything, and if he needed some space to sort out his head, so be it. Besides, if he got settled in now, he wouldn't have to do it later. He didn't take his cases up immediately though, he left those for later. What he did do was carry his breakfast up, throw his clothes into the laundry, and sit down to eat in the little kitchen-dining-living room area. He was still warm from the massage and the sex, so he didn't mind sitting there naked. He'd be in the shower soon enough anyway. He always loved being massaged, but the best part was cleaning all the oil off afterwards in a nice hot shower.  
  
Alex was a good cook, Josh noted, as he tucked into his breakfast. He hadn't known what Greg had ordered for him, and sure, it was just a simple fry-up, but that didn't matter. There were ways to mess up that, but Alex really hadn't. He'd even made the eggs a bit fancy, with some kind of fancy seasoning he couldn't quite identify. But they were delicious and if he was going to get breakfasts that good while he was here, well, he was even less inclined to leave.  
  
He left his dishes in the sink and went to get his suitcases. At least he wouldn't have much to put away, because most of it would be dumped in the laundry to be washed. He hadn't wanted to waste any time getting out of his flat at all. He just wanted to pack and go. Washing his clothes here meant he didn't need to worry about whether they were dry or not before packing them.  
  
Perhaps it was karma that he was the one carrying his suitcases up to the third floor, some kind of payback for how he'd been with Alex this morning when he'd arrived. He wasn't really that mad at him. Though being tired and cranky wasn't a good excuse either. Josh was better than that, in spite of his joking. Sure, he did tease some of the new servants a bit, but he never meant anything malicious about it. But perhaps he was coming across as a bully if Alex flinched at his touch like that. Either he was being too sensitive, or Josh was being too mean, or it was both of these things together that made their relationship seem impossible right now.  
  
Josh made a mental note to apologise to Alex next time he saw him, just so this stay didn't start on the wrong note. Never anger the servants, because they're the ones cooking your meals, Josh had learnt that lesson the hard way. It was especially true here because even when he was working, he was never in charge of meals. Greg just gave him all the other tedious cleaning work to free up his paid servants to focus on the better, more important jobs. Like cooking. Besides, in spite of his words to Greg earlier, he didn't really want Alex to be scared of him. That'd make the month utterly painful and no fun at all, not if they'd have to work together and live together.  
  
With the dirty clothes now in the washing machine, he took the clean ones into his room and put them away. It wasn't technically his room, it was just the spare room, but he was the one who slept in it most often, so he thought of it as his own. Not that he ever left anything here though. He wasn't here often enough to feel comfortable leaving his things here. But at least it was familiar, and he loved the mattress, and it had a lovely view from the window. But he didn't linger on the view this time. He grabbed his shower bag and headed over to the bathroom, wanting to spend as much time under a hot shower as he could.  
  
He did idly wonder what Greg and Alex were talking about. Sex and kink, obviously, but he was curious now about whether Alex would be open enough to at least try submission with Greg, or if he'd just clam up and keep it professional. He wouldn't blame Alex for going with the latter, but there was a tiny part of him that wondered what it'd be like playing a scene with him. What kinks would he like? What would he respond to? He'd admitted to touching the chains. Maybe Greg would chain him up. Put him in shackles? Maybe even wrap him to immobilise him. That felt incredible, to be bound up with something he couldn't escape from. It was different to rope. Rope had no real weight, but it had strength. Chains, on the other hand, had weight and strength, and Greg could place just the right weight on just the right part of his body and render him immobile.  
  
Alex might look good in chains, Josh thought. He might even like them. Maybe Greg would get another servant he could keep in chains. And, oh, what fun Josh could have with that, particularly if they worked together well. He wasn't usually all that dominant, but he liked the idea of dragging Alex around on a leash or a chain, showing him what it was really like to be Greg's submissive. He knew Greg wouldn’t let him do that, but it was nice to think about if only because he knew Alex wouldn't complain. He'd just accept it as an order and let him do it. Josh wasn't sure Greg should trust him with a submissive that obedient, but perhaps Greg would find that out the hard way when they started working together. Sure, he’d definitely be punished harshly for it, but it would totally be worth it to see how Alex reacted.  
  
He let that thought linger as he finished his shower and went back to change into his uniform. He didn't really need to wear it, Greg never required it of him, but it always made him feel better. It helped him feel like he was just another servant because they were dressed the same. He wasn't looking forward to the early starts, but he'd settle into it in a few days and remember how good this routine was to his mental health. But he didn't have to serve right now, he just had to wait for Greg and Alex to come and get him, so he had some time to himself. He could read, or watch some TV, but what he wanted to do was lie down on his bed and let that deep sense of being home sink into his body.  
  
Greg's house was the closest thing he had to a permanent home. He was used to just moving where the work was, and he was fine with that, but now he had somewhere to go home to, and he loved that so much. Sure, he might only be here for a month or so at a time, but it was enough. Josh felt that if he was ever here all the time, it'd be a sign that he wasn't working hard enough.  
  
It never took long for Josh to find his subspace after he arrived. It usually just took his master collaring him again and his mind was back where it wanted to be all along. He'd worn this collar for years now, and he loved how it really showed how much he'd worn it. It had creases in the leather, it was soft and scuffed and it was clear which hole was always used for the buckle. It had shaped itself to his neck like a glove, a comforting glove that he always knew was there, even though he'd long stopped being conscious of the weight of it.  
  
He closed his eyes. This, he decided, was Heaven.  
  


* * *

  
Alex didn't quite know what to do once Josh had taken his things and left. Greg had his arm around his shoulders the whole time, and Greg was still very obviously naked, and Alex found it too embarrassing to look at him. Thankfully, once they were alone, Greg left him and climbed back into bed.  
  
"Speaking of breakfast, of course. I haven't had mine yet," Greg said as he grabbed the tray and tucked in.  
  
Alex stood there, not knowing what to do, as he watched him eat. Part of him had been desperate to go and heat it up again, or even make it again from scratch so it was perfect for him, but Greg didn't seem to mind, he seemed perfectly happy with what he'd been given. Greg also hadn't told him to join him, so he hadn't. He tried not to look awkward, but he felt he was failing on that front as Greg looked up at him.  
  
"Are you going to stand there like an idiot all morning? Come and join me. Make yourself a tea if you want," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, really? Oh, okay, thank you, sir," Alex said, his muddled brain hearing that as an order, not as something he could choose to do, or not.  
  
A tea was a good distraction, Alex thought as he hurried into the kitchen. He needed a moment to breathe, if he was honest. His head was a mess, and his cock was still a little hard. He didn't really know how to talk about any of this because it was so far outside his own experience. But at least Greg knew he didn't know anything, so maybe - maybe it would be alright if he didn't know. He didn't think it was wise to waste any more time, and once he'd made his tea, he returned to the bedroom, and couldn't quite bring himself to get into bed with him. It felt - inappropriate. But then so much of this morning had been inappropriate. Alex just didn't know how to behave around him now.  
  
"Come on, Alex, come and sit next to me. It's alright, I don't mind. Just make yourself comfortable," Greg said, gesturing beside him.  
  
"Yes, sir," Alex said, willing to obey, but unsure how comfortable he would feel about it.  
  
He made his way around to the other side of the bed and set his tea down while he took his shoes off. He hesitated again until Greg impatiently patted the bed beside him and gestured for him to get in, so he did, and sat there as close to him as he dared to get, cup of tea in his hands, trying not to feel awkward about this as he waited for his master to finish his breakfast. Greg didn't speak again until he set the tray down and turned to face him. Alex turned to face him too, not wanting to appear rude if they were meant to be having a conversation.  
  
"Well, that was yet another lovely breakfast, thank you, Alex, that was delicious," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, thank you, sir. I just did what I was told," Alex said, feeling like he shouldn't be praised simply for doing his job.  
  
"And you did it very well. I'm sorry this morning's been a bit of a mess, Alex. I should have told you he was coming, but it genuinely was very last-minute. He was really meant to be here a month ago, but we had to delay that because his show got extended, so I wasn’t sure what day he’d actually be here. He phoned me very late last night to let me know he was on his way today and I meant to tell you when you put me to bed, but I forgot. I'm sorry. Just get the essentials done today, yeah? Don't worry about the rest, I've already wasted enough of your morning. It can get done tomorrow with Josh," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, yes, sir, that’s fine. Whatever you want, sir," Alex said.  
  
"Good, good. You don't mind that I put him upstairs, do you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex didn't know if he could object to that, and wasn't sure if he wanted to. He didn't know Josh well enough to know one way or another, but his first impressions were that Josh was just going to be mean to him, and he didn't want to have him in _his_ space. Where would he go if he wanted to escape Josh and Josh had taken over their floor? There was nowhere else for him to go. But he didn't feel like he could really say this, because he was Greg's guest, and he didn't want to rock the boat. Besides, it was Greg's house, he could put Josh in any room he liked, and he would just have to deal with it. "Uh, no? It's fine, I guess? I don't really know?"  
  
"Are you always this awkward, or is it just because of what happened this morning?" Greg said.  
  
"Oh. No, no, I'm always like this, I'm sorry sir. I'm always this awkward around people. But it doesn't matter when I'm being a servant, because a good servant isn't noticed. So I can just hide then and I'm fine," Alex said.  
  
"Are you still hard then?" Greg said.  
  
Alex was shocked by his bluntness, but he also appreciated it. He didn't have to guess what he meant. "A-a little bit, yes. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I haven't done my best for you today. I shouldn't be like this. I'm a much better servant than this, I swear."  
  
Greg raised a hand to silence him. "No, no, don't you start beating yourself up for that. I know you're a good servant, that's not being questioned. But I'll ask you again: tell me what you're feeling about what happened this morning. Maybe it's not something you want, and feel free to tell me I crossed a line. But be honest with me first and foremost, yeah?"  
  
Alex swallowed. "Yes, I-I'll try, sir."  
  
Alex paused, thankful Greg didn't reply but let him think. He still wasn't really sure what to tell him. He stared into his tea, trying to find the right words. In the end, he decided on honesty because he really didn't know what else to say.  
  
"I don't really know what to think, sir. This is all new to me. I don't understand any of it, or why you'd even want to do that with me. I don't know. I really don't know, sir," Alex said.  
  
"You've been with men before, though, I'm assuming? You're bisexual? I guess you'd have to be or you wouldn't have got hard off watching us like that, yeah?" Greg said.  
  
Alex nodded. "Yes, yes I'm bi. I've been with men before. I've... been in that position. Josh's position. With- the-the kneeling, I mean. I-I didn't think I was being - submissive though? Is that submission? I don't understand."  
  
"It can be submissive, but it isn't always. Do you want to kneel before me then? You're surprisingly obedient for a servant, too. I can tell because you didn't stand your ground and tell me I'd crossed a line when I told you to kiss me. You obeyed. Why did you obey me?" Greg said.  
  
Alex thought this was a question with an obvious answer. "I'm bound to obey you, sir? Isn't that my job?"  
  
"No, no it isn't. Kissing me isn't your job. Kneeling there watching me and Josh isn't your job. But you stayed. You didn't protest. You didn't even try to leave. You obeyed me. Why?" Greg said.  
  
Alex felt himself blush, feeling like he was being intensely scrutinised. "I-I don't know, you told me to, sir! That's what I do! I do as I'm told!"    
  
"So if I told you to wank off right now in front of me, you'd do that too?" Greg said.  
  
"Yes, yes, of course!" Alex said, hastily, and even though the very prospect of _obeying_ that order terrified him, he knew in his heart he would obey. "I do what I'm told, that's my job!"  
  
"No, Alex, that's _not_ your job. Wanking for me is very much not your job, but the fact that you would obey that kind of an order is telling. A servant who wasn't submissive wouldn't even contemplate obeying such an order. But you said yes immediately. What do you think that says about you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex was definitely blushing even harder then, appalled that he was even contemplating obeying such an order, but unsure why he was willing to do as he was told. Maybe-maybe he _was_ submissive. Maybe Greg was right. Why else would he even be contemplating it?  
  
Greg reached a hand up and stroked his hair. Alex shivered. This-this was all too overwhelming, but he didn't leave. He didn't protest. He sat there, waiting for Greg to tell him he could go.  
  
"I... I really don't understand any of this, sir, I don't know what it means. I don't know if I even want it, or even if I do, why I would want it. I don't understand, I really don't," Alex said.  
  
Greg was still stroking his hair gently. "I don't think you've ever been an ordinary servant, Alex. And that's not a criticism, by the way. You're a very good servant, and I'm very glad to have you with me. But I think I'm the first master you've had who's been willing to push your obedience outside of what your professional job is meant to be, and you're not sure how to cope with that, are you? Because you've been trained to obey, to do your job, to do whatever your master tells you to do, and you never question it because you're just a servant, aren't you? Why would you question your orders? That's not what you're there for. You put up hardly any fight when I told you about the dog bed. You just accepted it. Everything I've told you to do, you've just accepted without question. And I think it's because obedience is your first priority, not whether it's part of your job or not, am I right?"  
  
Alex nodded, knowing it was true. Obedience always came first, particularly when he was a live-in servant like this. He would do whatever his master told him to do, because that's what he was there for. There was no going home. No downtime, not really. He was always willing to obey, no matter when his master called him. That was what made him so good at his job. He thought he was just being a good servant, and his masters always praised him for it, but he'd never contemplated it was anything other than just doing his job.  
  
"It's all work for you, isn't it? Anything I tell you to do is an order that you feel compelled to obey," Greg said.  
  
Alex nodded again, and hid his shame as he drank the rest his tea that was now half-cold, fighting off the urge to cry as he felt tears well in the corners of his eyes. Had he been doing this wrong the whole time? Wasn't he meant to just obey his masters? Wasn't that the point of being a servant? But how was he supposed to know he'd been doing it wrong if no one told him? Everyone said he was doing a good job, and now Greg was telling he was doing it wrong the whole time? That none of this was worth it, that he was worth nothing after all?  
  
"But-but that's what I'm meant to do, isn't it? I'm just meant to obey! That's what servants do! They obey their masters!" Alex protested.  
  
"Yes, they're meant to obey, but you seem to forget that you're here to do a specific job. I'm paying you to do a job, Alex. Now, if you were one of my boys, that'd be a different story. Josh, for example, likes to work for me in lieu of paying rent when he's living here. But he doesn't get paid. He does it because it pleases me, and I expect him to be obedient because he's my boy and that's his job. But obedience isn't what I pay you for, Alex. You are here to do a job, and that job is to do all the things I give you to do in your schedule. That's how this works. You do understand that, right?" Greg said.  
  
"I do understand that, I do, it's just ... I-I don't know where the boundaries are. I don't think I know where the boundaries are. I'm just here with you all the time. Maybe... maybe I'm just not cut out to be a live-in servant. I just feel like I'm always on call for you? Isn't that what you want? Isn't that why I'm here? Because you need me here all the time?" Alex said.  
  
"No, that's not what you're here for. Tell me, because I'm curious. How did you get into service? Why did you become a servant?" Greg said.  
  
Alex looked at him, confused, unsure why he was asking again. He’d already told him this. "Oh, I just, my friend, my best friend, he introduced me to someone who needed a Latin tutor? For his children? I-it started there. I-"  
  
"No, no, not that. I've heard that story. What's the real reason? A Latin tutor doesn't become an ordinary domestic servant. That's a demotion and a pay cut. So why did you do it? What made you realise you liked serving?" Greg said.  
  
Alex pointedly stared down into his now-empty cup. He didn't really want to talk about that, because that would mean talking about Tim. And he'd have to face seeing their relationship in a whole new light, one he wasn't sure he was ready to face yet. Because he could see what Greg was getting at, and he wasn't sure he was ready to see Tim as his master and their relationship as kinky, because it never felt like that. But perhaps it was, and they'd both just decided to ignore it.  
  
"Was it your best friend? Were you lovers? It didn't end badly, did it? Is it too painful to talk about?" Greg said, and Alex was surprised by the gentle concern in his voice, not expecting to be given an out if he didn't really want to discuss it.  
  
"No, no, he's my best friend, I still love him dearly, it's just-... There was this summer we spent together at his uncle's house, back when we were at uni, and we were lovers for a while. I swear, I just thought it was roleplay, that he was just playing with me, that it was just because the uniform fit! I never thought it was anything other than that! It's not- we're not- kinky? It's not- like that. But I just - it was fun? He made it fun. But I'm not from that kind of family. I'm not posh, I just got lucky. So I didn't mind being a servant. I never felt it was beneath me. It-it just always felt right? But I can't say that in interviews, I have to pretend it was something else," Alex said.  
  
"What did the two of you get up to? I'm assuming some kind of master/servant roleplay yeah? What kind of servant were you being to him?" Greg said.  
  
Alex squirmed, uncomfortable at revealing so much information to him, but he was too obedient to stop now. "It-it was, yes. I-I was his valet. He taught me to be a valet. His valet. He had everything set up properly. I slept in a little cot at the foot of his bed. I-I did all those things valets are meant to do. I dressed him, and washed him, and took care of him, and-and it was lovely. I loved it, because I loved him. I love him. But I've never done it professionally. It's just our little thing. Even now, if I go and stay with him for a week or so, that's what I'll do for him. It's fun. I like doing it for him. I like taking care of him. I-I like it when he tells me what to do."  
  
"Oh, do you, now? You know that's a submissive thing, yeah? Enjoying being told what to do? What is it about him and his authority that you like? Why does he make such a good master to you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex stared ahead. He very, very much did not want to have this conversation, but he'd already said so much, what was the point in putting it off any more? Because he could see Greg's point very clearly. What he and Tim were doing was what Greg and Josh were doing, it's just they never called it that. It-it didn't involve whips and chains and collars, it was just service. Personal care. Alex was just taking care of him and doing everything he asked him to do. That... if that was submission, then-then maybe he was submissive too.  
  
"He... He's kind. But it's not that, not really. He just... it's the way he says things, you know? He never acts submissive at all. He knows he's in charge, and I know I'm just meant to be obedient. He is my Caesar. I would serve him for the rest of my life. I ... don't know if that's kinky, or submissive. I don't know if that's how it works for you and Josh. But that's how it works for us," Alex said.  
  
"Sounds like you've got a service kink, though honestly that doesn't surprise me. Submission is a mindset, it's something you decide to do. In the context of BDSM, it's about giving yourself over to a master, a dominant, and letting them tell you what to do, and in some case, decide what to do to you as well. If it's done properly, there's consent and safewords, no one is ever forced into submission. It's more fun when it's a conscious choice. It can be very freeing to have every decision taken out of your hands. Does that resonate at all with you?" Greg said.  
  
Alex nodded slowly. That's why he was obedient. He liked being obedient. He was just doing what he was told to do. He liked that. He didn't need to think, he could just do. Life was so easy when all he needed to do was obey someone.  
  
"I thought it might. Do you think it's something you'd like to explore with me? You don't have to, of course, but if you're curious, I'd be happy to introduce you to it properly. You could even wear a collar if you like, if that would help," Greg said.  
  
Alex looked at him, unsure he even wanted that, but he'd never worn a collar before either, so he wasn't sure he could say he wanted it either. "Y-you'd make me wear a collar, sir? Really?"  
  
"I wouldn't make you wear one if you didn't want to. It can feel really strange and restricting if you're not used to it, and it has to work for you to get you into a submissive mindset, otherwise it's just a hindrance. Think of it like the collar you might put on a dog. It's like declaring my ownership of you. Do you like that idea? Being owned?" Greg said.  
  
Alex drew his knees close to his chest at that thought. He'd never thought about being owned before, but his dick had got suspiciously hard, and he didn't know what to do with that.  
  
"I mean, I don’t think you really need a collar, if I’m honest. You're already so obedient that it probably wouldn't add much for you anyway in terms of helping you find the right mindset. You just seem to be like that all the time anyway. But it's always an option if you ever think you want it," Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir, I'll think about it," Alex said, and he would.  
  
He had a lot going through his mind, if he was honest, least of all that he would have to let his wife know if he made any decision to get involved with Greg. He still wasn't sure yet. He thought he might like it, but he'd be throwing all of his professionalism aside if he did. He'd be unemployable if he did this. No one would want to hire him after this. This is how servants got ruined and thrown away like discarded rubbish. But then again, would it matter if it turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to him? Maybe it didn't.  
  
Maybe-maybe this was like fate, that he was here for a reason. Because-... Because maybe his wife was right. Maybe it was time he had a partner of his own, and by that she meant a proper one, not Tim. ("Tim doesn't count because you stopped being lovers years ago," she explained, and Alex had to concede she was right. But that didn't mean he would ever stop being his valet when he stayed over at his house.) And maybe, for reasons he still did not yet understand, maybe that partner would be Greg, even though the very idea of being in a relationship with his master seemed unthinkable.  
  
"Can I try one more thing with you, Alex? This might help you make up your mind," Greg said, breaking him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Oh, yes, of course, sir. What did you have in mind?" Alex said.  
  
"I want you to kneel for me. You said you'd been in that position before, right? If you like it so much, maybe that will help you decide if you want to kneel for me," Greg said.  
  
Alex felt his stomach knot. He was afraid Greg was going to ask him to kneel. He knew he would obey, he would always obey him, that wasn't an option. But what would it feel like to kneel before Greg? How different would it be from Tim?  
  
"Yes, sir, I will kneel for you," Alex said.  
  
Still with his head bowed, he slipped off the bed, left his cup on the nightstand, and moved around to Greg's side, where he was just going to kneel on the floor beside the bed, but Greg stood up and shooed him into the middle of the room.  
  
"Where do you want me to kneel, sir?" Alex said.  
  
Greg came to a stop in front of him and pointed at the ground in front of him. "Here. On your knees for me, boy."  
  
Alex obeyed immediately, dropping to his knees and bowing his head as he closed his eyes, and felt Greg touch his head gently. It felt ... calming. It felt right, like this is where he wanted to be. Where he _should_ be. Where he should have been all along. This was where a servant belonged, kneeling at the feet of his master. Giving himself to him completely. That's what Alex had always longed to do, even if he'd only ever done it in his head.  
  
Sure, Greg had made him kneel by his bed as he had his breakfast, but that wasn't this. This... this was different. It gave him a much greater sense of Greg's power over him than kneeling by his bed did. Particularly because Alex knew Greg was naked, and all Alex's instincts told him to do was reach up and begin sucking him off, but he didn't. Greg hadn't told him to. He could definitely smell the sex on him though, and that just turned him on even more. It was a smell he was so used to in a lot of ways, but it was very different to be this close to him, to feel like at any moment, Greg could reach down and grasp his chin and push his cock inside his mouth and Alex would suck him off until he came and he’d enjoy every moment of that.  
  
But nothing happened. Greg didn’t touch him. He just stood there before him, radiating his power, and Alex knelt there, head bowed, his body tense with everything. His body felt like it was on a hair trigger, waiting for Greg to tell him to do something. Because he wouldn't move - wouldn't do _anything_ \- without Greg telling him to. And right now, all Greg had told him to do was kneel, and he wanted to do so much more for him than that.  
  
And then, Greg touched his head, just lay his hand on top of his head, stroking his hair, and Alex calmed down immediately, as if all he’d been waiting for all along was to be touched by him. This felt so right he didn’t know what to do with that thought at all.  
  
"How does that feel, Alex? Do you like that?" Greg said.  
  
"I do, sir, I do like it. I think ... I think I've wanted to do this ever since I first moved in, but I never understood why. But I think I'm beginning to understand now," Alex said. "Can you... Can you help me understand why I'm like this? Because I know I've always been like this, but I don't understand why. I don't know how to be anything else. I don't know how not to be submissive, now that I know what it is. This is just what I'm like."  
  
"I can help you with that, Alex, sure. We'll take it slow, yeah? Maybe talk to Josh about it too, see how he experiences submission and what he gets out of it. I think it'll do you good to work with him for a while," Greg said.  
  
Alex very much did _not_ want to talk to Josh about submission, possibly more than he did _not_ want to work with him either. Absolutely not. The very idea made him flinch when Greg touched his shoulder. The very idea of sharing that kind of personal information with a stranger! No, definitely not. Alex did not want to do that.  
  
"Alright, what's the problem? Are you genuinely alright with Josh being here? Be honest with me, Alex, I can't read your mind. I can't tell if you're just being skittish because this is all too new and you're just being awkward about everything, or because he did something and now you're scared of him. Go on, tell me what's going on. Was he mean to you this morning?" Greg said.  
  
Alex hesitated, but Greg had, he felt, given him an order, and he couldn't refuse to answer him. He nodded. "Yes, yes, he was. He shoved me, sir, and he was very rude to me, sir. I-I don't think I'm going to like him, not if he's going to be mean to me."  
  
Greg let out a weary sigh. "I fucking knew it. Couldn't fucking help himself, could he? Jesus Christ. Don't worry, Alex, I'll spank him very hard for being so mean to you. You don't deserve it, and if he tries it on again, you come straight to me and tell me, alright? I will not tolerate such behaviour towards my servants in this house, am I being clear?"  
  
Alex nodded, hoping Josh wouldn't try to get him back for telling on him. "Yes, sir, I understand. Thank you, sir. Do I still have to work with him then? I don't know if I want to, sir."  
  
"You do, yes. Trust me, he'll be even worse if I don't keep him busy with work, and he is bound to obey me in ways you really aren't, so just leave it with me, alright? I'll deal with him. You just worry about bossing him around instead, yeah? Give him all the really shit jobs. You've got my explicit permission to do that, alright? So if he complains about it, you send him straight to me, alright? Remember, Alex, you're the one being paid for this. He's not. And if he doesn't do what you say, I'll more than happily kick him out, yeah?" Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir, I understand. Thank you, sir. Don't worry, I'm good at being bossy when there's work that needs doing," Alex said.  
  
He was still feeling a little apprehensive, but the fact that Greg appeared to be on his side was reassuring. Josh was _not_ , it seemed, as important as he was. That was nice to know. Perhaps Josh wouldn't be stealing his job, after all. And he had permission to give Josh all the shit jobs, perhaps as a way of putting Josh in his place. Alex liked that idea. He liked that Greg expected him to be in charge and boss Josh around. He could do that, he thought. Perhaps, if Josh was being recalcitrant, he might even enjoy it. It's not like Greg wanted to get rid of Alex. Alex was going to stay, and he very much wanted to stay, even if he didn't quite understand all the reasons why. Greg was on his side, and he'd be fine. He could do this. Maybe-maybe he'd even like Josh, when he wasn't being mean to him? It's not like he knew him. Maybe he'd also been too harsh in judging him, even though Josh had been very rude to him. That was not a good way to make a first impression.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that. Now, I think we've wasted enough of the morning. Why don't you go clear up the breakfast things and I'll go shower and dress? Then we'll go up and see what that boy's doing with himself. Come and kneel by the bed when you're done and wait for me," Greg said.  
  
"Yes, sir, I will," Alex said.  
  
Alex remained where he was as Greg gave him one last pat on the head and left him to go to the bathroom. When he was alone, Alex got up and cleared the dishes. Normally, he'd have washed up most of the dishes before he served breakfast, but his routines were all out of whack today, and he still had to do them. There wasn't much, but it was calming. It gave him something to do while he sorted out his head.  
  
He felt ... strange. In many ways, nothing had changed, and he was going to obey Greg no matter what, just like he'd always done. But perhaps it was just knowing what it was about him that made him this way was what changed it. He knew something about himself now that he didn't know before. He made a note to himself to talk to Tim about this next time he saw him. He didn't know if it was just him being oblivious or if it was both of them who didn't realise what they were doing. It didn't stop him wanting to serve him, either. If anything, knowing his motivation for why he loved serving Tim so much made him want it more than he had before.  
  
It didn't take him long to finish cleaning the kitchen and putting all the dishes and pans away. He returned to Greg's bedroom and knelt by the bed like he'd been told to do, and waited, head bowed, for his master to come and get him.  
  
He'd never done this before, either, if he was honest. Kneeling and waiting for his master to return. He'd never done it for Tim, and he'd never done it for his masters, and it was a strange feeling, but also a comforting one. He had to shift a little every so often to stop his legs going numb on him, but something about it felt very right and proper that he should wait for his master like this. He kept his gaze focused on the floor in front of him and his hands resting softly on his knees. Something about being forced to be still and stop and wait calmed him, too, which he wasn't expecting. He found himself listening to the sounds he could hear, to see if he could tell what Greg was doing just by listening. But he also found himself just listening to the sounds of the house as well, really listening, and letting the sounds just exist.  
  
It was much quieter than he had imagined. Josh must be lying down somewhere; he didn't seem to be able to hear anything coming from upstairs, at any rate. Greg was still in the shower; he could still hear the water running. He had to smile as he heard him singing. He'd been aware of it before, but never as more than just a passing noise he heard along with all the other noises he heard as he went about his work. But now he was doing nothing but listening. He could sing quite well, Alex noticed. He wondered idly what it would be like to dance for him.  
  
That thought became his focus, then, imagining being made to dance and do whatever Greg told him to do. He didn't know why that image appealed to him so much, but perhaps it was the lack of control that he wanted. To just be made to obey everything Greg said. He tried to imagine some of the things Greg might make him do, but it was hard because he didn't know him all that well yet, and he didn't even know what kind of things he liked either. But perhaps he might tell Greg about that later. Maybe that could be fun to try.  
  
"Isn't it funny that I never had to teach you to kneel, Alex?"  
  
Greg's voice penetrated his mind and he looked up at him, drawn out of his fantasies. He hadn’t been aware of Greg returning, or even dressing. He’d been too lost in his mind. Greg had put some black jeans on, and a black t-shirt, which in some ways seemed so strangely out of character for someone in his position, but somehow, it worked for Alex. He found it weirdly arousing to see him like that, almost too casually dressed, but still absolutely dripping with dominance and authority. He didn’t need a uniform to be dominant, as if he was stepping into a role. He just was, like it was a natural part of him.  
  
In some ways, Tim was like that too. Tim ordered him around effortlessly, just like Greg did. Even his wife bossed him around, he noted, now that he was aware of this behaviour in himself and seeing in a new light. He’d willingly let other men – and a woman – take his place in bed with her, and raise his kids, and-and have sex with her while he went without. What kind of husband would do that? A submissive one. A cuckold. Fuck. Alex shivered at that thought. He was so weird. Why was he like this?  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Greg seemed to consider him with an amused look on his face, but what emotions he was trying to portray seemed unreadable to him. "Did you kneel for Tim? Is that where you learnt to kneel?"  
  
"No, sir, we- I don't kneel for him," Alex said. "I don't know where I picked it up from. I've never - I don't think I've ever done this before?"  
  
Greg was standing in front of him now, and Alex let him lift his chin up. There wasn't that much difference in their heights, but Alex absolutely felt tiny kneeling before him. Alex almost expected him to undo his fly and get his cock out and make him suck it. Alex knew he would if Greg wanted him to. It's not like he hadn't seen it before, but he'd never been forced to look at it closely, or to taste it, or to smell him. At that thought, he really, really wanted to know what he smelled like. It didn't help that his head was at cock height, so it was basically just staring him in the face.  
  
"And yet, your body still knows how to kneel as if it's an intrinsic part of you. That's really interesting. It's been a long time since I met anyone who was as naturally submissive as you without being trained to be that way. Normally, you have to work to get someone to behave like you do, but you do it without even thinking. It's just how you are. That's incredible. That's going to require a different approach, I think, because you don't necessarily need to be taught what to do, you just need to understand yourself better. I think Josh could learn a lot from you too, if I'm honest. He gets slack because he's not here all the time, but you can show him how to be like that without even thinking about it," Greg said.  
  
"Oh, really? Thank you, sir. I'll do my best, sir, though I'm really just being myself. I don't know how to teach someone that," Alex said.  
  
"Yeah, I know you are, it's alright, besides, it's not like I have to teach you anything, you just need to learn the words for what you already do, and that's easy. I'll make a perfect submissive out of you in no time at all, if that's what you still want," Greg said.  
  
"Yes," Alex breathed, immediately, instantly. He'd never wanted anything with this much certainty before, except knowing he wanted to marry his wife over anyone else in the whole world. That certainly calmed him. It reassured him that he was making the right decision, even if he didn't know what he would find out about himself yet. "Yes, yes, I want this. I don't know why, but I want this. Help me, sir. I'm ready to know myself."  
  
Alex returned his gaze to the floor then as Greg let go of his chin. He knelt there in silence as Greg touched his head, just ever so gently stroking his hair. Alex appreciated that he took a moment to just offer some gentle affection. It felt... nice. Greg praising him felt nice too. Everything about this was nice. Alex felt his body relax completely for the first time since he'd started working here. He closed his eyes. God, he loved the way Greg was running his fingers through his hair. If this is what submission could feel like, he wanted more of this. He wanted to give his life over to this man and kneel at his feet forever. And in truth, he'd already done that. He just hadn't realised what he was doing. But now he knew. He was right where he belonged. 


End file.
